Fleeting Inspiration
by Anna Sartin
Summary: Eiri gets irked and loses his inspiration when his favorite author writes an incredibly crappy book. Chaos ensues. YukixShuichi
1. Chapter 1 Four Gay Elves

**Fleeting Inspiration**  
by Anna Sartin

. . .

**Chapter One:** Four Gay Elves

.

It was a piece of pure and unadulterated drivel.

Eiri Yuki had been a fan of the man's work for almost ten years; he had bought every book he'd written and read nearly every essay he'd published in literary journals, admiring the man as a literary genius. Yet the book he now held in his hands, written by the aforementioned author, was one of the most appallingly shitty pieces of work he'd ever read. He stared at the cover wondering if by some freak accident some fool had printed the wrong name on the cover. No, opening the book revealed the same name printed in large Japanese characters. What the hell WAS this?

Mamoru Eto usually created detailed plots with characters that pulled readers into their lives and struggles and kept their undivided attention until they, regrettably, reached the last page. To say that his latest work was not up to par was a monumental understatement. It was only a fourth the size of his usual novels, consisting of lame attempts at humor and a plotless, pointless storyline about... elves. Yes, elves.

Eiri had no particular reason to dislike elves or the fantasy genre in general, in fact he'd taken great pleasure in reading fantasy novels by Tolkien and other great writers as a child. However, after reading Eto's "Four Gay Elves" he never wanted to hear the word "elf" again. What had POSSESSED the man? What would cause a renowned author who'd been writing longer than Eiri had been alive to publish something so...

"Yuki, I'm home!"

Eiri ignored his lover's greeting and continued to stare at the book. He'd read the whole thing in one sitting and now he wished he'd never read it at all. In fact, he was tempted to burn it.

His thoughts were disrupted as Shuichi pounced on him.

"Whatcha readin'?"

He closed the hardcover abomination and threw it over his shoulder.

"Nothing."

. . .

Two days later Eiri was staring at his blank computer screen, and he could swear it was watching him. Mocking him. Probably laughing at him behind his back whenever he left the room to eat, sleep, or have sex with his hyper, overly-cute lover. For two days he'd been able to write nothing, and it was Mamoru Eto's fault. The putrid drivel Eiri's once-favorite author had unleashed on the unsuspecting world was still laying on the living room floor where he had thrown it. Shuichi was afraid to touch it after Eiri had declared it "The Abominable Killer of Inspiration in All Living Things". He'd been slightly drunk at the time, having downed every beer in the fridge in an attempt to forget the absolute train wreck of a book he'd just read, but Shuichi wasn't taking any chances; he had three songs to finish by the end of the month and he'd only started on the lyrics for the first one.

"Still no luck?" Shuichi asked, entering the room with a can of beer in one hand and a sheet of paper in the other.

Eiri forfeited his stare-off with the computer to glare at the singer. "No."

Shuichi handed Eiri the beer and held up the piece of paper. "Well, I finished my first song. Look!"

"That was fast," Eiri commented dryly, taking the paper from the younger man and scanning it briefly before handing it back to him. "Still crap."

Shuichi just smiled. "You never appreciate my creative genius, but I forgive you!" He kissed Eiri's cheek and grabbed his hand. "Let's get out of here, Yuki. The more you dwell on it the harder it will be to write. Your deadline is months away."

Eiri sighed and shut down his computer. Writer's block was not a problem he encountered frequently, but it was a bitch on wheels when he did. Still, he'd rather write nothing at all than put his name to any old piece of shit, like a certain novel littering his living room floor. "Get your coat, brat."

. . .

The park was free of the usual weirdos Shuichi and Eiri frequently saw on their evening walks. Instead, a whole different group of nut jobs seemed occupy the place in the afternoon. An old man was washing himself, nude, in the public fountain while people stood and gaped at him or passed by quickly pretending not to look. A younger man was standing on his hands while talking to a tree, and nearby two teenagers were having sex in the bushes. Eiri ignored them all, including his chattering lover who was babbling on about whether or not cheese would explode in space.

"See Hiro says that you can make an eraser explode if you put it in the freezer so I'm wondering if you take a bunch of cheese and..."

_"At least he fits in with the other idiots here,"_ Eiri thought wryly. He wondered why the police weren't here arresting the nutcase bathing in the fountain. They'd been Johnny-on-the-spot to nail him for littering and double parking last year. Apparently fining him $150 for throwing a cigarette butt on the ground was more important than arresting people for public indecently. Go figure. Maybe they were out arresting Mamoru Eto for writing that piece of trash he disguised as literature. God, it was _still_ haunting him.

"Yuki, maybe we should go on vacation. You know, get away for a few days."

"You've got to work, brat, and so do I."

"Having staring matches with your laptop isn't _working_, Yuki, and I can work on my other two songs anywhere. It might be good for your inspiration..."

Yuki sat down on a bench. "Maybe..."

Shuichi plopped down next to him. "Really!"

"I'll think about it."

Shuichi latched onto his arm. "Oh Yuki it'll be SO much fun! We'll relax and go swimming and..."

Eiri blocked out his boyfriend's rambling and took a long drag on what was left of his cigarette. Why was he letting one piece of shit novel bother him so much? He couldn't help but wonder what had caused Mamoru Eto to write it. Drugs? Stress? Maybe he'd simply succumbed to old age and gone cracked in the head. Either way Eiri wanted to hit the man upside the head with his hardbound copy of "Four Gay Elves". His only regret was that the book was too damn thin to do any real damage. _"Still, I might be on to something..."_

He flicked his cigarette butt away, noting that the cops were no where on hand to fine him and/or give him a lecture for littering.

"Yuki, don't litter!" Shuichi scolded, getting up to retrieve the butt and putting it in the nearby trash receptacle.

Damn.

The teenagers in the bushes were getting louder.

"Uh, Yuki?.." Shuichi whispered, as he sat back down. "They're getting kind of loud..."

"I noticed."

The singer squirmed in his seat. "It's making me kind of... you know..."

Eiri turned to face him. "You're _kidding..._"

Shuichi blushed, looking at his lap. Eiri followed his line of sight. He _wasn't_ kidding.

The novelist grinned evilly. He would have _so_ much fun tormenting Shuichi while he was in this state. He pulled the singer to him and kissed him slowly, _agonizingly_ slowly, as one of his hands crept underneath his shirt. Shuichi wasted no time crawling into Eiri's lap, straddling him. Eiri felt his manhood spring to life as his lover began rubbing their clothed groins together. Shit, he really _was_ eager. Their kisses became more demanding as Eiri slid his hands down Shuichi's chest, unbuttoning his pants and grabbing...

"Y-yuki...!"

"Hey, you!"

Both men froze (as did the couple in the bushes) as a park ranger came running up to them.

_Shit!_

Eiri bolted up, causing Shuichi to fall to the ground. Grabbing his mortified boyfriend's hand Eiri took off running, hoping the ranger wouldn't give chase. Fortunately for both them and the teenagers in the bushes he had just noticed the man bathing in the fountain, giving both couples the chance to make a quick getaway.

For the rest of the day Eiri had to listen to Shuichi bemoan the fact that he had run all the way home with his fly open.

.

_End chapter one_


	2. Chapter 2 The Daily Box

**Fleeting Inspiration**  
by Anna Sartin

. . .

**Chapter Two:** The Daily Box

.

A sudden idea hit Eiri the next day. Maybe that accursed book had been written by a different Mamoru Eto. Mamoru wasn't an uncommon Japanese name, and there were hundreds of Etos listed in the public directory. Maybe some idiot with Mamoru Eto's name was trying to use the original's fame to sell his own putrid drivel. He needed to get on his computer and do a search...

"Yuki!" Shuichi burst through the front door, grinning like an idiot. In his hands he held a cardboard box, on which he had used a marker to write "The Daily Box" on the sides.

"What the hell is that?" Eiri asked his pink-haired fool of a lover.

"It's a box."

"I can see that, moron. What's it for?"

"It's for Yuki!" he smiled proudly. "To help with your writer's block!"

"And just how is a box going to solve my problem?" the writer inquired.

"Well, creative people are supposed to "think outside the box", right? So I borrowed one from the Mesopotamian lady for you to use."

"The Meso-_what?_"

"You know, the religion. Where they worship that guy who got nailed to a cross."

"You mean _Christian_."

"That's right. She let me have one of the boxes from her restaurant, _The Daily Bread_."

Shuichi turned the box to a different side, where "The Daily Bread" had originally been handwritten in English. Shuichi had crossed out the word "Bread" and written "Box" underneath it.

Eiri twitched. "Did you get this from the homeless woman on 4th street?"

Shuichi blinked. "Homeless woman?"

"Long light-colored hair, foreign, wearing several layers of clothes?"

"Hey, that's her! But she's not homeless, Yuki. She owns her own restaurant!"

"Sitting boxes in an alley and pretending they're tables does not constitute "owning a restaurant". She's a nutcase. She tried to give me a cookbook with half the pages missing last week claiming it was a bible."

Shuichi was crestfallen.

"And," Eiri continued, "if I'm supposed to be thinking _outside_ the box then what the hell do I need a damn box for?"

"Um... To put your inspiration in after you find it?"

Eiri took the box out of Shuichi's hands and put it over the singer's head, before heading off to his study muttering "Idiots to the left of me, morons to the right..."

. . .

_Mamoru Eto was born in 1944 in Hokkaido, Japan. He moved to Tokyo after graduating high school, where he attended Tokyo University and married his long-time fiance Keiko Otohime. Eto-sensei published his first two novels "The Age of Lost Innocence" and "Chiba's Throne" shortly thereafter. The couple had two sons before Keiko Eto died from complications in childbirth. Eto-sensei is described as a devoted father and grandfather. To this day his novels continue to intrigue us with...  
_  
Eiri didn't need to know this shit. He needed to find a complete list of the author's published works. If "Four Gay Elves" wasn't listed on Mamoru Eto's official website, then it would prove that it was the work of some other demented psycho who shared his name. There was nothing about it on the main page and the "About the Author" section had just proven useless as well, so he tried clicking on "What's New".

And wished he hasn't.

There, in all its glory, was the cover of the book he loathed, staring him in the face. Eiri growled and banged his fist on the desk.

"Yuki, what's the matter?" Shuichi asked from the doorway. "Trying to write again?"

"No. Go away."

Shuichi ignored the order and walked in, going over to see what was causing his lover to abuse the furniture. He looked at the screen. "Why are you..."

"Don't ask." Eiri scrolled down, passing a series of glowing reviews about Eto's new novel. Had the whole world gone _insane? _At the very end of the page was a link that said "Email the Author!" Eiri curled his lips up in a demented-looking smile. _Somebody_ needed to tell this man the truth, and it might as well be him. He clicked on the link.

. . .

"Yuki, _please_ don't do this!" Shuichi begged the next day, pulling on Eiri's arm as the author tried to get out the front door. "You'll get yourself arrested!"

It had taken Eiri a lot of work to locate Mamoru Eto's address, and now that he had it he was determined to put it to good use. He would confront the author and demand an explanation for why the world had been infected with the disease otherwise known as "Four Gay Elves". As a fellow author and avid reader of the man's work Eiri felt he had every right to tell the man off. Shuichi didn't agree, and had been pleading with him for the last half hour not to do anything rash.

Yesterday he'd sent a long email criticizing the author's work, and the webmaster of the Eto's site had sent a short but equally rude email back. He should have figured that Mamoru Eto didn't manage his own website. The Eiri Yuki Official Homepage had been created by his publisher and he'd only visited it once or twice.

After a bit of a struggle he made it out the door, and from there the Great Author Eiri Yuki could not be stopped. He had something to say and he was damn well going to say it. It had turned out that his fellow author didn't live far at all; his apartment was on 4th street. As Eiri stepped out of his car he noticed a familiar figure standing in front of an alley trying to invite the passing crowd into "The Daily Bread". Eiri groaned. He was _so_ not in the mood for this shit today. He tried to blend in with a small group of pedestrians, not looking in her direction as he passed by. However...

"You!"

...she knew him on sight.

"You're the one who threw my bible in the trash! Satanist!"

Eiri took off running, hoping to outrun the lunatic. But as all people know religious fanatics are nothing if not persistent, and the blonde author found himself running faster than he had in years as the "owner of The Daily Bread" chased him up and down the street, waving a "restaurant table" over her head.

"You sully the word of God Himself! Antichrist! The wrath of God is upon you!"

. . .

"I told you you would get arrested!" Shuichi scolded him a few hours later, as they left the police station together.

"Shut up, brat."

"You should be grateful to me for bailing you out!"

"I said _shut up_."

Shuichi sighed. "What happened, Yuki?" he asked, as they got into Eiri's car.

It was Eiri's turn to sigh. After summoning the police to help him with the religious nutcase, he'd finally found Mamoru Eto's apartment. From there he'd proceeded to hound the elderly author for his stupidity until HE called the police, and Eiri found himself in a holding cell with the same woman who was being charged with disorderly conduct for trying to assault him with a box. It just wasn't his day.

"I went to see Eto."

"I know _that_. What happened?"

"I told him his book was a piece of shit." _Among other things._

"And?"

"He told me _I_ was a piece of shit for tracking him down just to start trouble, and that if he wanted to write a book for his granddaughter it was none of my damn business."

"And?"

"And... we got into a fight."

"A fight? You got into a fight with a guy over sixty?" Shuichi asked, appalled.

"...Yes."

"That was _really_ stupid."

"No shit."

Bad luck continued to haunt Eiri after he reached the sanctuary of his apartment. He tripped over "The Daily Box" and found himself face-to-face with the book he'd been avoiding for days. He opened the book to the dedication, which read: 

_"To my granddaughter Lola."_

Eiri wondered how old Eto's granddaughter was. The humor in "Four Gay Elves" was certainly stupid enough to be considered on a child's level, but grandparents didn't write stories about gay elves for their young grandchildren. They just _didn't_. Perhaps Lola Eto had written the book herself and published it under her grandfather's name. _Now I'm really grasping at straws._

He grabbed "The Daily Box" and set it upside down over the open book, blocking the abomination from his sight. There. At least Shuichi's stupidity was good for _something_.

.

_End chapter two_


	3. Chapter 3 Brotherly Love

**Fleeting Inspiration**  
by Anna Sartin

. . .

**Chapter Three:** Brotherly Love

.

"There's no way in _hell_."

"Oh come _on_, Aniki!" Eiri's younger brother Tatsuha pleaded.

"You are _not_ staying here!"

"I need to stay here while I take my college entrance exams!"

Eiri scoffed. "Like _you'll_ ever get into Tokyo University."

"My grades are fine!"

"Because you _cheat_. You only passed math last year because you were sleeping with the teacher. There's no way in hell you'll pass the entrance exam to Tokyo University."

"Oh yeah? I passed the practice exam last month!"

"You probably cheated then, too. You are _not_ staying here!" Eiri repeated, imagining the damage his brother would do to the place while he was gone. "And since when the hell do you want to go to Tokyo University anyway?"

"Ryuichi-sama lives here, and the only way Dad will let me move to Tokyo is if I go to the university here!"

Eiri wondered what their father thought of his seventeen year-old son dating a man in his thirties. He probably didn't know. Either way it was not his problem. There was no way in hell his brother was staying here...

"Shindo-san!" Tatsuha wailed, clinging to the singer's arm as he entered the apartment. He processed to tell Shuichi his woes and naturally, with the run of luck Eiri had been having lately, his lover was instantly sympathetic to his brother's cause.

"Of COURSE you can stay here, Tatsuha! Yuki and I are going on vacation anyway, so you'll have the whole place to yourself to study while we're gone!"

Eiri dropped his cigarette and seriously contemplated stuffing both Shuichi and his brother into "The Daily Box" and shipping it out of the country. "I am NOT going on vacation and leaving him here to..."

"We are GOING ON VACATION," Shuichi interrupted him, glaring at him warningly. "You NEED it. I don't want you getting into anymore fights with old men!"

"Old men?" Tatsuha asked.

"What business is it of yours what I do?" Eiri yelled at his lover.

"It's my business because I was the one who had to bail you out of jail!" Shuichi yelled right back.

Tatsuha stared at his brother. "_Jail?_"

"Well, it's about time you did something around here besides make messes and eat me out of house and home!" Eiri shouted.

"That's not fair!"

"Geeze Aniki, you really DO need a vacation," Tatsuha remarked, causing his brother to stop glaring at Shuichi and turn on him instead. The younger sibling decided it might be wise to shut up while he was still ahead. "Uh... I'll just go get my bags..."

. . .

"Vacation! Vacation! I get to go on vacation with Yuuukiiiii!" Shuichi sang loudly as he flitted around the apartment, running from room to room grabbing random things to pack. Open suitcases were everywhere, ready to receive whatever Shuichi was on hand to stuff in. His beloved Yuki had retreated to his study, having no desire to "share the packing experience" with him.

"Why is there a box on the floor?" Tatsuha asked.

"It's Yuki's!" Shuichi called from the bedroom.

Tatsuha picked it up and examined it, before setting it down in the corner where it would be out of the way. He noticed a book lying open on the floor where the box had been, and picked that up as well. "_Aniki usually keeps his place cleaner than this_," he thought, tossing the book in an open suitcase.

The doorbell rang, and Shuichi ran into the room to answer it. "Sakuma-san! Come in!"

Tatsuha flew to the door to find the object of his adoration, his honey, his God waving Kumagoro at him.

"Hi, Tatsu-kun! Shuichi called and told me that you were here!"

Tatsuha stared at Shuichi worshipfully in silent thanks before turning back to Ryuichi and smiling slyly. "Did Kumagoro-chan miss me?" he asked, putting his arms around his boyfriend.

"Kumagoro missed you veeery much!" the singer replied, squeezing the stuffed rabbit in his hands. He blushed and whispered "Did you miss Kumagoro?"

Shuichi retreated to the kitchen to give them some privacy.

"Mmmm... VERY much," Tatsuha replied.

"Kumagoro wants to know what you're doing in town. Did you come to see Ryuichi?"

Tatsuha decided to keep his plans for the singer under wraps until his brother and Shuichi left. Eiri probably wouldn't like his plans to use his apartment as a love nest for seducing Ryuichi; he might even cancel his vacation. "I have entrance exams this week."

"Exams?"

"To get into Tokyo University."

Ryuichi blinked. "But Tatsuha is a _monk_," he said, as if Tatsuha didn't already know. "Why does he need to go to a university?"

"Just because I'm going to run my father's temple one day doesn't mean I want to pass up going to college." That was a card he delighted in playing and holding over his father's head. After all the years the old man had lectured him on the importance of a good education there was no way he could refuse his youngest son's request to attend college. Looks like he'd have to wait a few more years before dumping the temple and its responsibilities into Tatsuha's lap. "Besides, going to school here means I would get to _live_ here and be with you and Kumagoro-chan _every day!_"

Ryuichi's eyes lit up and he tackled the young monk excitedly, knocking them both to the floor.

It was at this time that Eiri had finally decided to come out of his study and was greeted by the sight of his brother laying flat on his back with the older, hyperactive singer straddling him and squeezing the life out of him. The writer turned tail and headed back to his study. There were some things he just did NOT need to see.

. . .

A few hours later Eiri was double-checking his favorite suitcase in the bedroom to make sure all the essentials had been packed before he and Shuichi headed out tomorrow. Medication, check. Cigarettes, check. Underwear, check... He had to admit that getting away for a few days was not such a bad idea. He needed to get as far away from That Book as possible. If he eliminated the source of his tension he might be able to get rid of his writer's block. Sitting in the sun while Shuichi's cute little ass served him hard lemonade wearing nothing but his swim trucks might in fact be very _very_ good for his inspiration. He just had to forget about "Four Gay Elves", the literary not-so genius Mamoru Eto, and the fact that Tatsuha (and most likely Ryuichi) would be occupying his apartment while he was gone. Not easy obstacles to overcome, but he was going to do it! He refused to be beaten down by other people's stupidity!

"Aniki!"

Speaking of stupidity... "What do _you_ want?" he asked his brother, hearing Shuichi and Ryuichi laughing maniacally from the living room. They were probably doing something moronic, as usual.

"You could be _nicer_ to your little brother, you know..."

"You got the damn apartment, what _more_ do you want?"

Tatsuha smiled mischievously.

Eiri glared. "Well whatever it is, you're NOT getting it!"

"But I _know_ something, Aniki..."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"...Something I bet you don't want people to know. Like _Dad_... or _Mika_..."

Eiri just stared at him.

"What WOULD they say if I told them my Aniki had to be bailed out of jail for brawling with a senior citizen?"

"You little..." Eiri knew exactly what would happen if word got out about the "incident" yesterday. In addition to receiving several lectures from his family members he would end up seeing a lot more of his sister and brother-in-law, who would constantly feel the need to pry into his life and "check up on him". He'd been enjoying the fact that lately the frequency of their visits had decreased drastically. Rather they had finally figured out he could take care of himself or simply put their trust in Shuichi to look after him, it didn't matter. Either way they were leaving him alone, which was a good thing.

"Your choice, Aniki."

He was stuck, and he knew it. "How much is this going to cost me?"

"Your Visa card."

"Hell no!"

"Just until you and Shindo-san get back from vacation."

Eiri considered it for moment before pulling his wallet out of his pocket and taking out his preferred credit card. He threw it at his brother. "Fine. Just stay the fuck out of my room while I'm gone."

.

_End chapter three_


	4. Chapter 4 The Hardcover Stalker

**Fleeting Inspiration**  
by Anna Sartin

. . .

**Chapter 4:** The Hardcover Stalker

.

This whole vacation thing really _had_ been a good idea, Eiri decided. Now that he was far away from the apartment and The Book That Shall Remain Nameless, Eiri's stress level had decreased significantly. He was currently laying on his stomach, on the floor, propped up by a pillow and his arms as Shuichi massaged various parts of his body. On his left side lay a several large pads of paper, on his right was an empty can of beer. Inspiration was flowing freely from his mind to his fingertips and he was working like mad to get as many ideas written down on paper (due to the fact that Shuichi had made him leave his laptop at home) as he could before they were lost.

"Yuki, my hands are getting sore," Shuichi's voice complained from behind and above him. An hour and a half ago this had seemed like a perfect way to get his lover to relax, but his plan had worked _too_ well and now the writer wouldn't let him stop.

Eiri ignored him. Whenever Shuichi's hands left him the tension in his body returned and the writer's mind went blank again. He'd learned this forty-five minutes ago when he'd sent Shuichi to get him a beer. He'd never regretted his love of alcohol more than the moment he realized he'd lost his train of thought and couldn't get it back. Then a smiling Shuichi returned, beer in hand, and a whole new set of ideas bombarded his mind as his lover resumed working his skilled hands on his back. Fifteen minutes later Shuichi left again to use the bathroom and Eiri had briefly considered handcuffing himself to the singer to keep him from leaving again. But doing so would restrict the movement of Shuichi's hands on his body; and rather he liked it or not, those hands were currently the source of his inspiration. Besides, he had no handcuffs.

"Yuki, I'm hungry."

"It hasn't even been an hour yet, brat," he replied. As much as he disliked being dependant on his idiot boyfriend for creative energy, he was determined to put this spurt of inspiration to use for as long as possible. There was no way in hell he was letting Shuichi stop now. "You move and I'll make sure you die a slow and unpleasant death."

"It's been almost _two_ hours, Yuki. Aren't you hungry?"

"No."

Shuichi sighed and resigned himself to his fate. "I still can't believe you let Tatsuha have one of your credit cards to use while we're gone."

"Don't remind me." He could just _kill_ the little shit for blackmailing him. He knew plenty of Tatsuha's dirty little secrets and he'd never held anything over _his_ head. Yet. He'd get back at the ungrateful little bastard one day for this... He cringed at the thought of his brother lounging around his apartment using Shuichi's computer to max out his Visa online on limited edition Nittle Grasper crap. Still, forking over his favorite credit card for a few days was better than the alternative. He did NOT need his father, Mika, or especially Tohma to hear about the jail incident.

"I hope he and Sakuma-san are having fun at the apartment."

Eiri's pen stilled. Even worse than the loss of his Visa was the thought of Nittle Grasper's vocalist drawing on his walls and... _sleeping in his bed_. He'd told Tatsuha to stay the hell out of his room during his stay, but they both knew there was a snowball's chance in hell of him listening. Damn Shuichi, it was all HIS fault!

Eiri knew he needed to stop thinking about it, it wasn't good for his newfound creative flow, but the image of his brother sharing HIS bed with that idiot singer just wouldn't go away. It was obvious Tatsuha was close to bedding his idol and was pulling all the stops to get as much "quality time" with the singer as possible. Eiri expected his credit card statement next month to include dinner at the most expensive restaurants in town, a date or two to the amusement park and/or the zoo, and maybe even a few kinky sex toys thrown in for good measure. Hell, he'd probably even go out and buy outfits for the damned rabbit.

"Yuki?"

"What?" Eiri snapped, looking over his shoulder to glare at his lover.

"Are you okay?" Shuichi asked. "You stopped writing..."

Eiri turned back to his paper. Oh shit... The ideas, the inspiration... they were all gone! In place of his muse was the image of his brother pounding Ryuichi Sakuma into his mattress. He began beating his head into the floor.

"Damn it, Tatsuha!"

"Yuki, what's that matter?" Shuichi asked, getting off his lover to sit in front of him. He pulled the pillow supporting Eiri's chest up a bit so that Eiri could bang his head into that instead of the floor.

The writer looked up.

"Before we go home, we're buying a new mattress!"

Shuichi cheered. "I get to go mattress shopping with Yuki!"

Eiri watched his childlike lover dance in circles around the room. "Get me some aspirin, would you?" he asked tiredly. For some unknown reason his head hurt. The fact that it might be because he had just been bashing it into the floor did not occur to him.

Shuichi danced over to where the suitcases were sitting. "Sure thing!" He searched though the suitcases one by one, looking for the bag that had Eiri's various medicines in it. "Hey, look!" he said suddenly, holding up Eiri's copy of "Four Gay Elves" for him to see. "How did THIS get in here?"

Eiri resumed banging his head into the pillow.

. . .

It was stalking him.

The book was fucking _stalking_ him. Perhaps this was no ordinary inanimate object, but in fact an unholy tome possessed by demonic forces. Demonic forces that were stalking him and trying to drive him completely insane. Maybe he could perform an exorcism... _God, I'm starting to sound as stupid as Shuichi._ He opened the book and read the dedication again...

_"To my granddaughter Lola."_

Eiri was beginning to hold Eto's granddaughter equally to blame for the creation of this hardbound abomination against humanity. Maybe she had brainwashed the old coot, or sucked the inspiration out of him so that he could write nothing but trash. Lola Eto. He wondered if he could track HER down and... Eiri paused in mid-thought. He had to stop thinking about this, it was making him crazy. He hadn't come all this way on vacation to let Eto, his granddaughter, or "Four Gay Elves" ruin it. He needed to get rid of the book once and for all.

"Where are you going?" Shuichi asked as Eiri opened the door to their hotel room.

"Out," he replied. "I'll be back later."

He walked briskly through the streets of the resort town searching for an appropriate place to discard Eto's latest publication. An incinerator might be the best place, he would get great satisfaction out of watching it burn, but unfortunately there were no incinerators or bonfires on hand just when he could use one. He passed several shops, including a coffee shop, a souvenir store and... a bookstore. Eiri stopped in front of the latter, where a large poster advertising "Mamoru Eto's latest masterpiece - Four Gay Elves!" was displayed in the front window.

"Damn it!" Furious, Eiri threw the book as hard as he could and it went sailing upward in an arc before crashing back down to earth. Satisfied, he turned to leave.

"Hold it! Stop right there!" A police officer, who had just come out of the coffee shop, came running up to him.

Twenty minutes later Eiri headed back to the hotel with the book he had thrown away (which the displeased cop had returned to him) in one hand and a $150 fine for littering in the other.

. . .

Laying in bed with his face buried in a pillow Eiri tried, desperately tried to calm his nerves. He wasn't succeeding. The book was out to get him, he just _knew_ it! Shuichi, tired of waiting to eat and disappointed that Eiri hadn't brought any food home, called room service. "_He could have at least ordered something for me,_" Eiri thought, realizing that he was also hungry. Neither of them had eaten breakfast and it was past noon. His pink haired lover was laughing at something, but Eiri doubted it was worth the trouble of removing the pillow from his face to see what it was.

Shuichi laughed at everything.

He laughed at the way his socked feet slid across their floors at home. He laughed at the imaginary figures he saw in clouds and in the patterns of restaurant and hotel carpets. He laughed at the way Eiri's stomach growled when he was hungry. He snickered at his own private jokes, leaving the people around him clueless as to what was so funny. The introverted blonde secretly loved the sound of his young lover's laughter; hearing it somehow made him feel like the ebb and flow of the world was in balance. If was Shuichi was happy then all was right in the writer's dreary, secluded little world. Most of the time, anyway. Sometimes the singer cackled insanely because he had an idea so crazy that it made those around him want to run away and hide. At such times, Eiri was very, _very_ afraid.

Shuichi's laughter continued off and on for a while, until Eiri couldn't resist the urge to take a peek and see what the singer found so hilarious. He was appalled by the sight that met his eyes.

"What are you _doing?_"

Shuichi sat at the table eating his lunch while holding a familiar book in his hands. He looked at the author. "How can you hate this book so much? It's so FUNNY!"

"I put that in the trash! Where it belongs!"

"Oh come on, Yuki! This isn't _that_ bad."

Eiri groaned and buried his face in the pillow again. So much for the world being in balance. He should have known that dumping it in the little wastepaper basket of their hotel room wouldn't be enough to rid his life of The Thing That Would Not Die. Now it had corrupted Shuichi too.

It was _definitely_ stalking him.

.

_End chapter four_


	5. Chapter 5 Whispering Phantom

**Fleeting Inspiration**  
by Anna Sartin

. . .

**Chapter Five:** Whispering Phantom

.

Eiri smiled smugly, reclining in a lounge chair by the side of the hotel pool. This time he'd made sure the book haunting him was nowhere around to ruin the _rest_ of his day. He'd left it locked in the hotel room weighed down under an enormous potted plant sitting in the corner. There was no way it could follow him now!

He and Shuichi had gone for a soak in the hotsprings for awhile until Eiri decided he'd had enough of the heat and went to buy a cup of coffee (he still hadn't had the first thing to eat all day) and a newspaper. Now he was sitting in his swimming trunks flipping through the entertainment section, pleased to find a scathing review of what that bookstore had called "Mamoru Eto's latest masterpiece". He still couldn't get over that. Masterpiece? More like a _disaster_ piece.

_"Although humorous at times, Eto's new novel does not live up to his usual standards and has left many fans disappointed..."_

Eiri grunted. Disappointed? Now THERE was an understatement if ever there was one.

The review went on to list many of the same flaws he himself had complained about both to Eto and in the email he'd sent to the author's website. The critical blond flashed a self-satisfied grin at the picture of Eto in the paper as if to say "I told you so!". The photograph stared back at him indifferently. The writer frowned, displeased by its lack of reaction. It was supposed to feel some remorse, damn it!

At any rate, he'd found new respect for the reviewer. He'd been furious when she'd published an especially bad review of one of his own novels in the past. The truth was that he wasn't overly fond of that piece of work himself; he'd rushed it to meet his deadline and wasn't satisfied with the ending. But now she'd reassured him that there were still SOME sane people in the world whose minds weren't infected by Eto's garbage, and for that he was grateful. _Someone_ out there still knew trash when they saw it.

"Yukiiiiiiiiii!"

Eiri looked up from his paper. About time the brat got out of the hotsprings; he'd been in there well over an hour. Or was it two? The singer's skin was flushed red from having been in there too long.

"Listen to this!" Shuichi yelled, running up to him. He held up a portable radio on which a familiar song was playing.

"Isn't that Shining Collection?" Eiri asked.

"Yes! And it isn't me or Sakuma-san singing it which means someone STOLE it!"

Eiri listened to the female singer on the radio belt out the lyrics he'd written about Shuichi. Whoever she was, she needed vocal lessons badly. The background music had been changed to make the song sound dark and creepy, which didn't suit the lyrics at all.

"Who is she?" the writer asked, annoyed that someone was murdering his song on air.

"I don't know the name of the singer, but the announcer said that the group's name is _Whispering Phantom_."

Eiri reached for his pack of cigarettes. "Whispering Phantom? Never heard of them." Why did the names of music bands all have to sound so _weird?_

"Me neither. How come they're allowed to sing your song without your permission?"

"They could have gotten permission from Nittle Grasper. Could you turn that _off_?" he asked, lighting up a cigarette.

Shuichi switched the radio off. "Sakuma-san wouldn't give anybody permission to do THAT to a song!"

Eiri had to agree. Listening to Shining Collection in that form made him embarrassed to admit he'd written the song. "I'll call Seguchi when we get back and find out what's happened."

"Okay..." The singer looked like he was about to cry. Or scream. Or burst. His face was beet red and his breath was coming out in short, uneven pants.

"Just calm down, okay?" Eiri told him, noticing that he was trembling. "We can get this all settled when we get home. There's no reason to overreact-"

"But there IS!" Shuichi cried, bursting into tears. "You wrote that song for me and some horrible person is ruining it!"

Great, the _last_ thing Eiri needed was for his emotional lover to go off the deep end and spend the rest of their vacation crying like a chick. It would put the writer's nerves on constant edge for the next three days and kill any chance of relieving some of his tension. With everything else that had gone wrong so far he did _not_ need _this_.

"Look," he said severely, his voice thick with annoyance. "we're supposed to be on vacation, remember? Isn't that why you dragged me out here? If I've got to spend the next three days stuck here with you and that piece of shit under the plant in our hotel room then give me at least one damn day to relax! Otherwise what the hell was the point in our coming?"

His words were overly harsh and he knew it, but was it TOO much to ask for a little peace and quiet without SOMETHING popping up to ruin it?

"I-I'm sorry, Yuki..."

The writer turned his attention back to the newspaper.

Shuichi turned to leave, feeling even worse than when he'd come running in. Not only was his favorite song being massacred over the airwaves for all of Japan to hear, but now he was bothering Yuki. The last thing he wanted was to stress out his lover and cause him to start coughing up blood. Again. He'd secretly hoped that their vacation might turn into a romantic getaway, but there seemed to be little hope of that now. He walked along the edge of the pool, heading for the door. His body was still hot from the hotsprings, and he was starting to feel... lightheaded...

Eiri heard a thunk as Shuichi dropped the radio. It was followed a few seconds later by a splash. _The clumsy idiot fell into the pool,_ the writer thought to himself, continuing to read the paper for a few more seconds until he noticed strange gurgling sounds were coming from the water. Eiri looked over his newspaper. The radio was laying on its side by the side of the pool. The back of the machine had popped open and its four AA batteries were scattered around it. In the swimming pool bubbles were floating to the surface of the water in the spot where Shuichi had fallen in, but the singer himself did not rise to surface.

"Oh _shit!_"

Eiri dove into the water and grabbed his petite lover, instinctively pressing their mouths together and transferring all the air in his lungs to Shuichi's as he propelled them both to the surface. Once he had the boy out of the water and flat on his back he frantically began trying to resuscitate him. Water came flooding out of Shuichi's mouth and splashed in Eiri's face as the younger man began coughing up the chlorine-filled substance.

"Get help _NOW!_" Eiri screamed at a passing hotel employee, who saw at once the severity of the situation and began running as fast as she could in her four-inch high heels to call an ambulance.

. . .

Shuichi woke up several hours later to the sound of a heart monitor beating in his ear. An oxygen mask was strapped to his face feeding him air.

"Yuki?"

His blonde lover sat by the side of the hospital bed, holding his hand. His eyes were red and puffy. Had he been _crying?_

"I'm here. It's about time you woke up," the author answered, squeezing his hand.

"How come I'm in the hospital?" Shuichi asked groggily, his voice muffled by the oxygen mask.

"You were overheated from being in the hotsprings too long. You passed out and fell into the hotel swimming pool."

"I fell in the pool?" Shuichi asked sleepily.

"You almost drowned. Don't you remember?"

"All I remember is... lots of water. I couldn't breathe..." He smiled slightly. "I dreamed that you kissed me."

"Damn brat... I'm gonna kick your ass if you ever scare me like that again!"

"I'm sorry," Shuichi whispered. Eiri caressed his young lover's cheek and his eyes fluttered closed. The singer began to fall back asleep.

Eiri watched him intently, carefully studying the face of the man he loved. Little brat... He'd never been so afraid in his life. By the time the paramedics had arrived on the scene Shuichi had stopped breathing, causing Eiri to break down in front of the paramedics, the hotel staff, and all guests standing around watching the "action". God, how embarrassing...

Outside two nurses were chatting as they walked down the hall.

"Have you read Mamoru Eto's new book? It's SO funny!"

Eiri shot up from his seat and closed the door to the hospital room. Could his vacation _possibly_ get any worse? He hadn't been away from home a full twenty-four hours and already the trip was a disaster. He switched on the hospital radio.

Whispering Phantom's version of "Shining Collection" was playing.

It was official, the powers that be were out to get him. He moved to change the channel, but changed his mind. The song was almost over so he let it play through to the end, renewing his determination to find the person responsible for this atrocity when he got home. The announcer's voice came blaring over the airwaves after the song came to an end.

_"And that was Whispering Phantom's "Shining Collection", sung by their beautiful and talented young singer Lola Eto."_

Eiri did a double take, staring at the radio as if it were a bomb about to explode in his face. It couldn't be... _Lola Eto?_

.

_End chapter five_


	6. Chapter 6 The Great Indoors

**Fleeting Inspiration**  
by Anna Sartin

. . .

**Chapter Six:** The Great Indoors

.

Shuichi was released from the hospital the next day under doctor's orders to get at least a full day's rest and then take it easy for the rest of the week. Eiri took the doctor's instructions both seriously and literally, refusing to let Shuichi get out of bed. "Yuki, I'm _fine_," Shuichi insisted in the morning, but Eiri was resolute. He ordered room service at the beginning of the day to deliver all three of their meals.

"We'll go out tomorrow," the writer promised. "But only if you stop complaining."

Shuichi tried to make the best of his enforced confinement and began working on the two remaining songs he needed to finish. Eiri left to go buy the morning paper, and when he came back he found Shuichi sulking in bed with a blank tablet of paper.

"You can't write?" he asked, after Shuichi had told him his dilemma.

"No! Every time I try to work on my lyrics I just keep hearing that awful girl's voice butchering our song!"

The writer could _definitely_ relate. "Have you tried listening to a different song?" he asked. "Maybe that will get it out of your head."

Shuichi shook his head. "I can't find my radio."

Eiri cursed inwardly. He'd never retrieved it after Shuichi dropped it by the side of the pool yesterday. "We'll get you another one when we get back," he promised. With everything that had happened he'd never given the device a second thought.

Shuichi buried his face in his pillow. "I don't know what to do, I have to have these songs finished by the end of the month or K will shoot me! I promised him that I'd get them done on time if he'd let me go on vacation, but I can't think of anything. Nothing helps, not even cuddling Tatsuha!"

Eiri twitched. Cuddling TATSUHA? He glared at his lover suspiciously. "Since when do you get inspired by cuddling with my brother?"

"Not THAT Tatsuha," Shuichi said, holding up the pillow he'd been squeezing against his chest. "THIS Tatsuha!"

"You named your pillow after my _brother?_" Eiri asked, his eyes narrowing dangerously.

"No, Sakuma-san did. He carried it around the apartment for over an hour yesterday and then cried when I wouldn't let him take it home."

"You should have," Eiri grumbled. He hated to admit to being jealous over something so moronic, but he did NOT want his lover having a pillow named after his brother.

"But it's my _favorite_ pillow, Yuki! I can't sleep without it," Shuichi responded, hugging it tightly to his chest. "I've had it ever since I was a little kid..."

"It's old, flat, and you spend most the night sleeping on _me_, not the pillow."

"Not when you make me sleep on the couch."

The singer's eyes held just a hint of sadness, causing Eiri's heart to ache as he remembered the terror that seized him yesterday after pulling his unconscious mate from the water. The thought of those violet eyes never opening again had shaken him to the core.

"If I promise to _never_ make you sleep on the couch again, will you buy a new pillow?"

Shuichi's eyes widened. "Really?"

The blond nodded.

The singer's face lit up, and he latched onto Eiri happily. "Deal!"

Eiri stared blankly into space, letting himself be hugged. He'd never expected to be in a monogamous relationship, ever, in his lifetime; so how had he gone from needing nothing and no one to needing this hyper, overly cute idiot of a popstar... and to the point of being jealous of a _pillow, _no less! He just couldn't figure it out. Finally he gave up contemplating and wrapped his arms around his lover, returning his embrace.

"Shuichi?"

Shuichi's ears perked up, taking notice of the rare use of his name. "Hm?"

The writer took a deep breath and rested his chin on the top of the singer's pink head. "I'm never going to be able to get rid of you, am I?"

"Never!" Shuichi declared fiercely, tightening his grip on his grumpy blond boyfriend. "Like it or not, I'm here to stay!"

Eiri smiled slightly and closed his eyes. "Good."

Shuichi felt his heart melt at his love's indirect way of telling him that he was wanted, loved. God, how he loved this man... "Yuki?"

"What?"

"Do I really have to stay in bed ALL day?"

"Yes."

"With _you?_" Shuichi asked, sliding his hands inside his lover's shirt and feeling the soft, smooth skin underneath.

"Unless there's someone ELSE you'd rather spend the day in bed with," the blond answered with a feral grin, pushing the younger man back onto the pillows. Shuichi pulled Eiri down with him and began unbuttoning his shirt as the writer's lips captured his own.

Suddenly spending the whole day in bed didn't sound so bad after all.

. . .

In return for always getting to top in bed, Eiri rewarded his submissive lover with mind-blowing blow jobs. No one could make Shuichi moan, beg, and scream the way he did, and he took great pleasure in trying to coax every sound imaginable from the vocalist's diaphragm. This time was no different, the singer's cries had echoed off the walls as Eiri's hands and mouth brought him to climax. Unfortunately by the time Eiri had released the boy's manhood and crawled on top of him to satisfy his own aching need, he found that his boyfriend had passed out, completely dead to the world.

Which left a certain author feeling frustrated and crabby. He sat smoking on the edge of the bed, frustrated beyond belief. He just couldn't _believe_ the damn brat had fallen asleep! He knew it probably wasn't the kid's fault; with everything that had happened yesterday his body was probably still too weak to handle too much at once.

_I wonder if sex was included in the "strenuous activity" the doctor told him to avoid..._

He glanced back at his naked lover, who was slumbering peacefully under the sheets.

_Nah._

There was no way in hell he was going to leave Shuichi alone. Both his mind and his body wanted to take him over and over again; to lose himself inside his lover and assure himself that the person he loved was here, safe, _alive_.

_I'll just be more gentle when he wakes up. He likes it when I'm gentle, anyway.  
_  
In the meantime, he needed someone or something to take his anger and frustration out on. He decided to call Tohma and find out what was going on with this new music group "rearranging" Shining Collection. Forget waiting until he got home, the more he thought about it the more he wanted answers. He grabbed his cell phone off the nightstand and dialed his brother-in-law's number.

"Seguchi speaking."

"Who the hell gave Whispering Phantom permission to sing Shining Collection?"

"Eiri-san, I believe it's customary to announce yourself before yelling at someone over the phone," Tohma's voice answered reproachfully on the other end. "You should begin a telephone conversation more politely."

"Just answer the damn question!"

"I gave them permission to create their own version of Shining Collection for their debut album. They just signed on with N-G and-"

"Have you _heard_ them sing?" Eiri shouted into the receiver.

"No, I don't produce their band, but I figured you would approve since Whispering Phantom's lead singer is the granddaughter of that author you're so fond of. She's also a huge fan of your..."

Eiri never heard the end of Tohma's sentence. In a state of rage he threw the cell phone out the window, where it plummeted twenty-seven floors below and hit a passing monk on his bald head. The said monk looked up, wondering if this strange occurrence was some sort of divine message. Didn't objects falling from the sky usually mean something to that affect? That's right, it must be a sign! Pocketing the phone he hurried on, filled with a renewed sense of purpose.

Meanwhile twenty-seven stories above, Eiri was cursing his lack of restraint. Damn it, now he was going to have to buy another cell phone!

"Yuki?" a sleepy Shuichi called out to him from the bed, awakened by the sound of his shouting.

Eiri sighed. He _really_ needed to learn to control his temper. He threw his cigarette out the window and returned to the singer's side, determined to finish what they'd started before he passed out _again_. Then maybe he'd give him a hand with those lyrics, just this once... He did NOT want that crazy American shooting holes in his walls again.

.

_End chapter six_


	7. Chapter 7 The Customer is Not Always Ri...

**Fleeting Inspiration**  
by Anna Sartin

. . .

**Chapter Seven:** The Customer is (Not) Always Right

.

Shuichi clung to the arm of "his Yuki" with hearts in his eyes as they walked though the streets of the resort town. Yesterday had been _SO_ wonderful. Seeing the kinder, gentler side of his lover for a full 24 hours had been a dream come true. The critical writer had even helped him with his lyrics, something he'd sworn he would _never_ do. It had renewed Shuichi's determination to restore the pessimistic man's faith in love so that maybe, someday, they could have days like that all the time. Maybe one day they could even have a normal, loving relationship. So what if he was a dreamer, dreams could come true! Yesterday had been proof!

"I'm so happy," he cooed, leaning on Eiri's shoulder.

"You've told me that a hundred times already."

"Well I _am_. Yesterday was _SO_ wonderful..."

"Don't get used to it," Eiri grumbled. He wondered if a full day of spoiling Shuichi with gentle sex, cuddling and massages had ruined his icy, apathetic image.

Still, the day _had_ been productive. Massaging the singer had helped relax and focus his mind while Eiri helped him find words that rhymed and gave suggestions whenever he got stuck. He had to admit they made a good team when he dropped the attitude and offered encouragement instead of criticism. They finished a full song together and got halfway through the second.

"I wish you hadn't broken my lucky pencil, though," Shuichi sighed sadly.

Eiri growled. Why did he have to keep bringing _that_ up? "Will you shut _up_ about the damn pencil already? I said I'd get you another one, so quit harping on it!"

Eiri hated mechanical pencils. He hadn't used them since he was a teenager under the tutorage of Yuki Kitazawa in America. He'd never liked the bother of having to figure out how to open and refill them, in his younger days he'd brought them to his tutor to refill for him. So when Shuichi asked him to refill his favorite pencil Eiri had been completely bewildered as to what to do. He couldn't even get the damn thing _open_. He tried using his hands, his teeth, and finally a pocket knife and only succeeded in breaking it. Shuichi had burst into tears claiming that he couldn't write a thing without it, and that had been the end of their cooperative efforts.

"I wish you'd have just asked me to open it for you," Shuichi said, as he had several times since yesterday.

"And I wish YOU would have just gotten up off your lazy ass and filled the thing yourself!"

"You wouldn't let me get out of bed!" Shuichi retorted. "I had to wait until you were either out of the room or asleep just to go to the bathroom!"

"Don't exaggerate!"

"But it's true!" the pink-haired man replied, before bursting into fits of giggles at their silly argument. He tightened his grip on Eiri's arm. "But it's okay, it was SO wonderful getting to spend the whole day with you!"

And their conversation was right right back to where it had started. Eiri looked away, hiding a small smile. _God, he's an idiot..._

"Can we go in there?" Shuichi asked, pointing to the souvenir store.

"Whatever."

Eiri had absolutely forbidden Shuichi to go anywhere near the swimming pool or the hot springs for the rest of their trip, so to stop the boy's whining he'd promised to take him anywhere he wanted to go.

"Isn't that owl CUTE?" Shuichi asked, pointing to a plush bird in the window of the store.

Eiri stared at the stuffed animal in question. It was about four inches tall with a black leather beak and feet. And no wings. Weren't birds supposed to have wings? "It's _hideous_!" he exclaimed as his lover dragged him into the store.

"It is not! He's cute!"

"It's _furry_. Birds aren't supposed to have fur. And why doesn't it have any wings?"

"I don't know. Hey lady, do you think this bird's cute?" Shuichi asked a nearby shopper, grabbing her by the arm and pointing to the object in question.

"Uh... s-sure," the woman responded nervously, quickly moving to another part of the store.

"See, he IS cute! I'm going to go buy him!" The singer grabbed the bird and dashed off to go pay.

Eiri just rolled his eyes. "Whatever." He stepped outside the shop to smoke a cigarette and noticed a large crowd gathering at the bookstore. _I wonder what's going on?_

"I'm gonna name him Eiri-chan!" Shuichi announced a minute later, waving the owl in front of the real Eiri.

"Don't name that ugly thing after me!" Eiri yelled, pushing it away from his face. The distracted author hadn't noticed that his lover had exited the shop. He'd even forgotten that he wanted a cigarette.

"He's not ugly, Yuki, he's just misunderstood! Like you! That's why I'm naming him after you."

Eiri rolled his eyes again and turned back to the commotion going on at the bookstore.

Shuichi turned to see what had attracted his lover's attention. "Let's check it out!" he said, pulling Eiri by the hand.

The couple read the large sign sitting outside the front of the store.

**Mamoru Eto book signing!  
One day only!  
**Please form an orderly line here.**  
**

Shuichi looked up and noticed a familiar manic fire in his lover's golden eyes. _Oh no... _Before the singer could stop him, the irate author marched into the store.

_. . ._

__  
"Way to get us thrown out, Yuki!"

"Oh, shut up!"

"Do you think that guy's really serious about pressing charges?" Shuichi asked nervously.

"Who the hell cares?" Eiri snorted, reaching in his pocket for a cigarette. The box was empty. _Damn!_

"But he thinks you're stalking him, Yuki! What if-"

"Hey, do you want to go in there?" Eiri cut him off, pointing to the CD store across the street.

"Huh?" Shuichi looked at where his boyfriend was pointing. "Yes! I need to get Nittle Grasper's new CD!"

_Thank Buddha that idiot is so easy to distract._ Eiri stuck his hand in his other pocket, hoping that by some odd chance a stray cigarette might have magically found its way there. No dice._  
_  
"Look!" Shuichi pointed at the window of the music store, which was covered by various signs and posters. One of them read:

**Whispering Phantom  
Debut Album  
GRUDGE**  
On sale now!

Shuichi bolted in the door, where the advertised CD was on display in the front of the store. He grabbed a CD off the shelf and read the back of the case. Sure enough _Shining Collection_ was listed; it was second song after _Grudge_. "Who the hell ARE these people?" he shouted, looking at the picture of the band on the cover.

Eiri also took a CD and examined it. He wondered which of the four bimbos on the cover was Lola Eto. There was only one male in the group, a husky black man sitting behind a set of drums. Eiri hadn't seen a dark skinned person since the last time he was in America. In fact, only one of the members of Whispering Phantom looked even remotely Asian. He assumed that to be Eto's granddaughter. The other three women were Caucasian, and is his opinion not the least bit attractive. Two had ratty blonde hair in desperate need of combing and the third, a brunette, was overweight. How had these losers become part of N-G?

"We have to ask Seguchi-san about this, Yuki!"

Eiri decided now would not be the best time to tell the aggravated singer that he'd had that very opportunity yesterday and blown it by throwing his cell phone out the window. "What are you DOING?" he exclaimed suddenly, as Shuichi began grabbing all the CDs from the display.

"We can't let people _buy_ these!"

"Put those back!" the author ordered, grabbing them from Shuichi's arms. "What are we supposed to do with so many copies of a CD we hate?"

"We can melt them in the microwave!"

"No!"

Shuichi's eye caught a teenage girl passing by holding a copy of "GRUDGE" is her hands. "You can't buy that!" he cried, snatching the CD away from her.

"Hey, give that back!" the girl yelled, grabbing for it.

"Shuichi, stop it!" Eiri shouted, but the singer refused to release his hold on the CD.

Pretty soon a crowd had gathered to watch Shuichi and the girl's game of tug-o-war. Deciding that he wanted no part of this stupidity, Eiri decided sneak away and try to find someplace that sold cigarettes. He would just slip off without being noticed and Shuichi could take care of the problems created by his own stupidity. He needed a nicotine fix. He slowly moved away from the scene his lover was causing and headed for the door. Unfortunately he'd forgotten that he was still holding a stack of CDs, which set the alarm off as soon as he tried to exit premises. So while security was breaking up the fight between Shuichi and the teenager, he had the pleasure of trying to explain to the staff of Music World that he was NOT trying to steal the fourteen copies of "GRUDGE" he'd tried to walk out the door with.

. . .

"Way to get us thrown in jail, _moron_!" Eiri yelled at his new cell mate.

Shuichi whimpered under Eiri's death glare as the cell door slammed shut behind them, closing off any chance of escaping his lover's wrath. He gulped, wondering what his chances were of living to see tomorrow.

.

_End chapter seven_


	8. Chapter 8 Hard Time

**Fleeting Inspiration**  
by Anna Sartin

. . .

**Chapter Eight:** Hard Time

.

The fact that his lawyer was one of the best in Japan was something that Eiri had learned could be both a blessing and a curse. In addition to being expensive, the popular and highly successful attorney was always extremely busy. She'd promised to come and post bail for him (and maybe Shuichi too if the brat didn't annoy him _too_ much by the time she arrived) as soon as she was able, but she'd warned him that she had no idea how soon that would be. She was involved in a lengthy trial concerning a well-known government official and was scheduled to be in court most of the day.

In the meantime, Eiri had settled into the bottom bunk of his cell to cool off before he gave into the urge to slam Shuichi's head into the wall. Damn brat, this whole damn thing was _his_ fault!

"Yuki, please don't be mad!" Shuichi pleaded from the top bunk.

"Why the hell shouldn't I be? I'm in jail! And it's all you fault!" the author yelled from below.

"Hey, I'm not the one who got busted for trying to steal fourteen _GRUDGE_ CDs!"

Eiri growled. Resisting the urge to go up there and sock him was _so_ hard!... Instead, he kicked the mattress.

"Hey!" the pink-haired fool protested from above him.

"No, you're the idiot who got himself arrested for harassing a minor! And you STARTED this whole thing to begin with!"

Shuichi sighed miserably and climbed down from his retreat. He bravely entered the lion's den and sat on the edge of Eiri's bed. "I'm sorry..." he said softly.

Eiri ignored him and stared at the wall.

"I don't know what was wrong with me. It's just... knowing that someone ruined our song and _millions_ of people are hearing it is making me crazy!" He struggled to suppress the tears he felt turned to face his cell mate and stared at him for a minute. Tears began to slip down the younger man's cheeks. "I-I'm really sorry..."

Eiri moved his hand to the boy's face. Shuichi winced, as if expecting to be hit. _Am I really that much of a bastard?_ Eiri wondered, using his thumb to gently wipe the tears from his lover's eyes. "It's... all right," he said aloud. "I understand. It's the same way I feel about Eto and his damned book."

"Why DOES that book bother you so much?" Shuichi asked. "You're obsessing over it to the point that... well... it's almost like you're taking it personally."

"It's keeping me from writing. That IS personal."

"I guess so... Why would you even _buy_ a book called "Four Gay Elves" to begin with?"

"Well, for one thing I thought Eto meant "gay" in the poetic sense..."

Shuichi laughed softly, taking the writer's hand and threading their fingers together. Eiri let him, but averted his gaze to stare blankly into space. He took a deep breath.

"Up until now I've always thought very highly of Eto. He was one of the few authors whose work influenced my own when I first began writing. To see him write something so..." The writer stopped, unable to find the word he was looking for. He needed a cigarette...

Shuichi laid his head on Eiri's stomach, listening attentively. "...Something so?..."

The author waved his free hand in a dismissive motion, before letting it settle in the singer's pink hair. "I just don't understand how someone can go from writing masterpieces to writing crap."

"Maybe he's just getting old, Yuki."

Eiri stared up at the bed above him. "Maybe that's what I'm afraid of..."

Shuichi squeezed his hand, waiting for him to continue. "Yuki?"

The writer closed his eyes. "What if someday the same thing happens to me? What if I get old and start spewing out drivel and no one bothers to tell me that I'm making a complete ass of myself?"

Shuichi blinked. "You're afraid of losing your talent when you're old?"

"Maybe," the older man answered, wondering why he was admitting this to his companion. He was a closed person by nature, yet more and more often he found himself telling his secrets to Shuichi. He wondered why. "I never thought about it much until I went to Eto's apartment that day. I don't want to turn into some tired old geezer churning out garbage for the world to read."

"You won't," Shuichi answered with confidence. "If you get tired of writing you won't do it anymore. You're not the type of person to do things that you don't want to do, and you never do anything half-assed."

Eiri smiled. Now he remembered exactly why he talked to Shuichi; it made him feel better.

Shuichi returned the smile and added, "Besides, even if you _do_ turn into a tired old geezer who can't write worth a shit you'll still have _me_, and I'll still think you're the coolest, sexiest man alive!"

"That's because you're an idiot," Eiri chuckled softly, running his fingers through his devoted lover's hair. _But I wouldn't trade you for anything else in this world._ They laid comfortably like that for a few minutes, enjoying the serenity of the moment until...

"Hey, you two!" a cop with billy club called loudly, using his weapon to bang on the bars. "Dinner's at six if no one shows up to get you."

Shuichi shot up from Eiri's stomach. "We get food?"

"That's right, you'll have the pleasure of dining in our fine establishment," the guard answered in a sarcastic tone. "To enhance your dining experience you'll even have your celery soup brought to you by _my _smiling face."

Eiri cringed. _Celery_ soup?

"I don't like celery soup..." Shuichi whined.

"And I don't like your hair, kid. We all have our crosses to bear," the cop replied, walking away.

. . .

Three hours later the lawyer had still not arrived, and the lack of Nicotine combined with missing a dose of his medication was starting to mess with Eiri's head. He felt like every nerve in his body was on edge.

"I can't stay in here!" Eiri shouted at the guard. "I need my medication! And a cigarette!"

The guard was not sympathetic. "I'm sorry our accommodations aren't to your liking. Maybe you should have thought of that before you decided to go shoplifting."

"For the last time I was NOT trying to steal those CDs! I forgot I was still holding them!"

"Like no one's ever told me _that_ one before," the cop replied, rolling his eyes. "Just how do you _forget_ that you're holding fourteen CDs?"

"Look smart ass, I'm getting DAMN tired of your attitude! Do you have any idea who I AM?" Eiri shouted.

"Nope, and I assure you I don't care. Now sit down and shut up and we'll both be a lot happier."

Eiri growled and kicked the bars, adding a sore toe to his list of problems.

Shuichi decided to have a go at the cop next. "Please let us out! Yuki _really_ needs his medicine, he might get sick if he doesn't take it! Plus he gets really crabby when he misses a dose and I'M the one who's locked in here with him!"

"Thanks a lot," the writer muttered, glaring at him.

"Well it's _true_," Shuichi told him, before turning to the cop again. "Please, I can make it worth your while Officer... huh..."

"Eto," the cop told him. "Officer Eto."

The writer and the singer exchanged looks.

"Eto? Are you by any chance related to Mamoru Eto, the author?"

"As a matter in fact, yes. He's my father."

Eiri felt like his head was about to explode. No more... he just couldn't take any more. How much was one human being expected to endure? He sank to the ground, still clutching the bars. Either the entire Eto family was out to get him or he was officially losing his mind.

"So that means you're Lola Eto's father?" Shuichi asked.

"No, she's my niece. Her father lives in America."

_Thank heaven for that._ Eiri thought, clutching the bars so tightly his knuckles turned white. At least there was _one_ Eto out there who wasn't trying to destroy his vacation... his sanity... his _LIFE_.

. . .

In the end, the combination of Shuichi's pleading and Eiri's banging his head against the bars like a crazy man convinced Officer Eto to send for a dose of Eiri's prescriptions. The author began to feel much better after the drugs had time to reenter his system, but he still wanted a cigarette.

The so-called "dinner" provided for them was the most disgusting thing the writer had smelled in a long, _long_ time. Even the _bread_ smelled like celery. Neither he nor Shuichi touched the soup, and any remaining hope Eiri had had in at least being able to eat the side dish was also lost. Celery sticks. He wondered if there was some kind of conspiracy going on and someone was using his most reviled food to torture him. He threw a celery stick at Officer Eto after the passing guard told him to "be a man and deal with it" while chugging down a can of beer to wash down the bag of Skittles he had just consumed.

"Are you allowed to drink on duty?" Eiri asked, his eyes narrowing.

"I'm off duty, buddy. I'm going home!"

Shuichi eyed the empty bag of candy mournfully. "Can I at least smell the wrapper?" he asked the cop, his eyes filling with tears.

Eto handed him the bag. "Here."

"Do _you_ want to smell the can?" he mocked the author, waving the now-empty can in front of him.

"Go to hell!" Damn, was he ever sick of cops. They were either chasing him, fining him, or locking him up. Self-righteous assholes, his taxes paid those son of a bitches! Eto just laughed and continued on his way out.

Eiri went over to the bed and flopped down. When life sucked, it sucked HARD.

"Yuki, there's a Skittle in here!" Shuichi squealed, running over to him like he'd found a priceless treasure. "We can split it!"

"How the hell do you split ONE Skittle?"

"I don't know. Maybe I could bite it in half?"

"Just eat the damn thing!"

"Okay..." Shuichi popped the candy into his mouth and sat down next to his lover. "Yuki?" he asked, beginning to rub the stressed blond's back and shoulders.

"What?"

"Your lawyer's gonna be here soon, right?"

"I sure as hell hope so."

"I don't want to stay here overnight..."

"You think I _do_?"

"No! They do _things_ to people in jail, you know? I don't want to become some scary guy's girlfriend!"

Eiri snickered. "Too late, brat."

Shuichi moved his hands up to caress his lover's ears. "Meanie. Is that anyway to speak of your _devoted_ wife?"

"You're a real nut job, you know that?" Eiri asked, feeling his nether regions awaken as his partner continued his gentle assault on his oh-so sensitive ears. He turned around to face the singer. "Besides, you might _like_ doing _things_ in jail."

"Yuki!"

"We've never done it in a jail cell before..." he whispered into the younger man's ear, who blushed as he was pulled him down for a kiss.

"Are you sure about this?" Shuichi asked, coming up for air a minute later. "Someone might see..."

"So?" the blond replied as he began kissing the panting singer's throat. "Who cares?"

.

_End chapter eight_


	9. Chapter 9 Headache

**Fleeting Inspiration**  
by Anna Sartin

. . .

**Chapter Nine: **Headache

.

It was ten-thirty when Eiri's attorney arrived, and by that time he was ready to strangle her. He was tired, hungry and his head was killing him. It took another half-hour to get them released, due to a stern talking-to they'd received about their choice of "leisure activities" while being detained. Apparently the sound of their love-making had caused several of the other men jailed there to suddenly decide to explore their homosexual nature. Eiri smirked, wondering if Shuichi's screams of "Oh GOD it's so good!" had been what set the chain reaction in motion. The little brat just couldn't keep quiet in bed to save his life. The author grinned with self-satisfaction. He was just _that_ good.

By the time they left the station Eiri was ready to kill (if necessary) for a cigarette. He stopped at a nearby drug store on a mission to relieve his nicotine depravation. Shuichi disappeared immediately upon entering the shop, while Eiri headed straight to front counter where the cigarettes were sold.

"Aren't you going a bit overboard?" Shuichi asked when he returned, eyeing the four cartons Eiri was clutching protectively.

"Shut up."

Shuichi decided not to push the matter and dumped the pile of junk he was carrying on the counter. "See what I found?" he asked, holding up a two-pack of mechanical pencils. "Just like my other one!"

"Good for you. Just don't ask me to fill them." The blond examined the rest of the crap his boyfriend had dumped on the counter. Pocky, candy, Eiri's preferred brand of headache medicine, lube, a music magazine and... _douche?_

"Why the hell are you buying _douche?_" he asked his lover.

The younger man blushed. "For... you know..."

Eiri raised an eyebrow. "What? Did you turn into a woman while I wasn't looking?"

"To keep _clean_. I don't want to be dirty or smell bad for you when we..."

"Sir? Are you ready to pay?" the clerk asked, saving Shuichi from finishing his embarrassing explanation.

Eiri blinked. Now that he thought about it he'd probably seen empty boxes of that stuff in the bathroom trash at home; he'd just never taken notice of it. He was beginning to think there were a lot of things he never paid attention to. Shuichi, on the other hand, seemed to take note of every detail of his life; like how he'd known which brand of pain reliever Eiri used and had known to buy some even though the writer had never mentioned that he had a headache. The younger man always put so much effort into their relationship and it was actually starting to bother Eiri that he rarely, if ever, made any effort at all.

"Hey, don't be embarrassed to let your man know what you go through to make him happy," the fruity-looking guy behind the counter was telling Shuichi as he rang up his purchases. "They never appreciate what we go through being on the receiving end, do they?" He scanned the box of douche and held it up. "I use a turkey baster for this myself."

"Turkey baster?" Shuichi asked, blinking.

"Yeah, it's good for getting in there deep. You should try it sometime."

"Just hurry up and bag this shit, will you?" Eiri yelled at the man. With all of the stupid things Shuichi ALREADY did on a daily basis, the last thing he needed was some idiot encouraging him to shove a turkey baster up his ass.

"Ready!" Shuichi piped cheerfully as the cashier handed him his change. He grabbed his bag and followed Eiri out the door.

Eiri wondered if on previous occasions some of Shuichi's ridiculous stunts could have been avoided if he'd simply paid more attention and put a stop to them before the situation got out of hand. The incident at the CD store was a perfect example. Since he was just brooding over the fact that he never put any effort into their relationship anyway, perhaps now was a good time to start.

"If I catch you with a turkey baster you'd better be basting a damn turkey with it or I'm throwing your queer ass out a window!"

There. Making an effort felt good. Perhaps he would do so more often. He tore open a pack of cigarettes and pulled one out.

Shuichi took the bottle of painkillers out of his bag and handed them to his grouchy lover. "We need to get you a drink so you can take these."

"How did you know I have a headache?" Eiri asked, fumbling in his pocket for his lighter. Keys... change... pocket knife... Where the hell _was_ it?

"I can tell," Shuichi responded. "Your eyes always have that glazed-over look whenever your head hurts. Plus it's time for your medicine again. I know you never feel good if you miss it."

How did this kid know him so _well_ when he seemed oblivious to the rest of the world?

"Where's my fucking lighter?" he shouted, when he came up empty for the third time. The brat was right, he DID need his medicine. His unstable nervous state was always a sure sign.

"Check your other pocket," Shuichi advised.

Eiri did so, feeling monumentally stupid as he recovered the object he was seeking. He vowed never to go this long without nicotine again as he lit up.

Shuichi watched him for a moment before turning his attention to the bag he was holding. Eiri watched him out of the corner of his eye. The memory of his little lover laying unconscious by the side of the hotel pool two days ago still haunted him. The image was burned into his brain. It held him back when he wanted to hit the boy for doing something moronic, forced him to be gentle in bed, and filled him with an irrational fear that caused him to check and make sure the idiot- _his_ idiot- was safe.

It was also starting to make him question himself. The brat had nearly drowned and he'd only taken notice after the boy had swallowed half the pool. A normal person would have looked up as soon as they'd heard the radio drop, and probably could have retrieved him before his head went underwater. If he hadn't been sitting there with his head up his ass Shuichi would have never had to go to the hospital. What was _wrong_ with him?

"Can we get something to eat?" Shuichi asked, shuffling from one foot to the other as he waited for the blond to finish smoking his precious cancer-stick. "I'm really hungry..."

"YOU should talk," Eiri scoffed. "I haven't had anything since breakfast."

"I haven't either!"

"You have too."

"Two slices of bread and a Skittle don't count!"

"And I suppose the pocky you're eating now doesn't count either?"

"No, it doesn't!"

"Fine, where do you want to eat?"

"Anywhere with food."

"Sounds good to me."

. . .

In the end they settled on McTeriyaki Burgers from McDonalds, which they could eat in the car on the way back to the hotel. The hungry men devoured their food like they hadn't eaten in weeks and were both finished by the time they reached their destination. It was after midnight when they got back to the hotel, and Eiri looked and felt like a wreck. He'd washed down two capsules of the headache medicine with the soda from McDonald's (damn burger joints, why didn't they ever have any _BEER_?) but his headache was only getting worse. He nearly drove into a concrete pillar in the parking garage and wound up parking in two spaces.

_Let them fine me, I don't give a damn anymore._

"Don't worry, Yuki," Shuichi said soothingly as he put the older man's arm over his shoulders and led him into the hotel. "I'll run and get your medicine as soon as we get in the door."

"Just shut up!" Eiri tried to yell, but his voice only came out hoarse and exhausted. "Your voice is grating..." He leaned on the smaller man tiredly and let himself be guided to the elevator. He felt like little elves were jack hammering inside his brain. The fact that he was seeing double wasn't helping either.

Shuichi obeyed his demand for quiet, and silently steered him up to their room and to the bed. The author collapsed onto it, closing his eyes and trying to will the pain to go away. A minute later he felt gentle hands tugging at him. He opened an eye. Shuichi was standing by the side of the bed with his bag of medicines in one hand and a glass of water in the other.

"You should have brought beer," the tired blond complained, forcing himself to sit up and sort through the bag until he found the right bottles. He downed the pills in one quick gulp and handed the glass back. Shuichi set it down and began helping him undress. "I can do it myself," Eiri grumbled, swatting his hands away. "I don't need your help."

"Yes, you do," Shuichi answered gently. "You're trying to unbutton your zip-up jacket."

He was still wearing a jacket? He hadn't noticed. At least that explained why he couldn't find any buttons. He conceded and let Shuichi help him remove his clothes.

"Don't worry Yuki, I promise I'll take good care of you," Shuichi whispered, after he'd stripped his lover down to his underwear and helped him to lie down. "Just like you always take care of me."

"I don't do a damn thing for you," Eiri snapped, pressing his hands against his throbbing skull. "I'd wonder why you were still with me, but I've finally accepted the fact that you're just too stupid to leave."

"That's not true," Shuichi whispered, covering him with the sheet. He knew Eiri's emotions fluctuated wildly when he missed a dose of the stabilizers his psychiatrist prescribed for him, especially when he was in pain. His partner could go from angry to paranoid to self-loathing in a matter of minutes. On rare occasions he had even broken down in tears, making Shuichi fully grasp the scope of the damage that Yuki Kitazawa's betrayal and violent death had done to his mind. Nobody knew what this man went through, the singer wondered if even Mika and Tohma fully understood the depth of the suffering Eiri hid under his cold exterior.

"Two days ago you saved my life," the singer said softly. "And all yesterday you stayed with me and took care of me. You were nicer to me than you've ever been and it made me so happy."

"If I had pulled you out of the water sooner, you wouldn't have stopped breathing... I should have paid more attention..."

Shuichi shushed him gently, combing his fingers though his hair. He knew Eiri had been crying when he woke up at the hospital that day, but he had never dreamed that the blond might blame himself for what had happened. _You really are a good person._ Shuichi thought. _I'm going to be here for you for as long as we live, cherishing every beat of your heart, and someday I'm going to figure out how to make you happy._

He hoped that one day his lover wouldn't need all the pills, alcohol, and nicotine he used to get himself through each day. Maybe someday the blond would smile instead of scowl, and hold "his Shu-chan" close instead of pushing "the brat" away. Maybe there would even come a time when Yuki's laughter would become commonplace instead of a rare occurrence. That was Shuichi's fondest dream, to give his Yuki a normal life free of the emotional and psychological baggage that weighed him down. Someday, even if it took his entire lifetime, he was going to help Yuki get well.

"Aren't you coming to bed?" Eiri inquired. "Or are you just going to stare at me all night?"

Shuichi smiled and kissed his love's aching head before shrugging off his jacket and crawling into bed, not bothering to undress. He curled up against his mate and fell fast asleep.

.

_End chapter nine_


	10. Of Crazed Monks, Lost Luggage & Giant Ha...

**Fleeting Inspiration**  
by Anna Sartin

. . .

**Chapter Ten:** Of Crazed Monks, Lost Luggage, and Giant Hamburgers

.

Eiri woke up to soft humming and the feeling of a gentle hand stroking his hair. He liked that tune... Shuichi's smiling face greeted his vision as he opened his eyes.

"Good morning," his pink-haired cherub said softly.

"What's so good about it?" the blond grumbled, determined not to be taken in by his lover's cuteness. "And why are you still up? I told you to go back to bed." Shuichi had woken him up earlier to take his medicine, something he'd never done before. Eiri wondered why he'd bothered to do so today.

"That was hours ago, Yuki. It's after noon now."

Eiri rolled over to look at the clock hanging on the wall. 12:36. Damn. He stretched and sat up, reaching over to grab his lighter and pack of cigarettes from the nightstand. "Why did you wake me up this morning?" he asked.

"So you wouldn't have a headache when you got up," Shuichi responded. "With everything that happened yesterday and how horrible you felt last night I thought I should start taking better care of you."

"I don't need you to take care of me," Eiri replied stubbornly, swinging his legs over the side of the bed and lighting his cigarette.

"I know," Shuichi smiled, hugging him from behind. "But that's what people who love each other do, right? They take care of each other."

They sat in silence for a few minutes as Eiri smoked. The singer was so uncharacteristically quiet as he snuggled against his mate's back that the blond started to wonder if he'd fallen asleep until he heard a sigh of contentment. Finally he stubbed his cigarette butt into the hotel ashtray and asked, "Did you get our stuff packed yet?"

"No, why?"

"Because we're leaving as soon as I take a shower and get dressed."

"What? But we're not supposed to leave until tonight!"

"Our plans have changed."

"But Yuki I don't WANT to go home yet!" Shuichi whined. "This is suppose to be our last day of vacation!"

"Too damn bad. I've had enough vacationing to last me a hell of a long time. You'll be lucky if I EVER go anywhere with you again after what you've put me through on this trip!"

Shuichi pressed his face against his lover's back, trying not to cry. "I'm sorry our vacation turned out to be such a disaster. I really wanted us to have a good time and get away from our problems, you know? I kinda hoped it would be like a long date or something..."

"Dates don't include visits to the hospital or the local police station. Neither do vacations... except _ours_."

"I'm sorry, Yuki..." the singer whispered sadly.

The writer stood up, leaving his dejected boyfriend sitting on the bed staring at him like a sad, lonely puppy.

"Get everything packed and ready to go," he commanded, getting a towel and fresh set of clothes. Shuichi just continued to stare at him pitifully. "Come on, we've got a lot to do before we go home. We've got to buy a mattress, a pillow, a radio..."

Shuichi perked up immediately. "Really?"

"Yes, and if you hurry up and get everything packed by the time I'm done I'll take you out to eat before we go shopping," Eiri added, hoping it would encourage the kid to get moving. It did. Satisfied that the day was off to a good start, he headed for the shower.

. . .

The couple met with a strange sight as they exited the hotel with their luggage. A monk was standing across the street ranting about how he had been "awakened" when a divine object sent by Buddha had fallen from the sky and hit him on the head. Eiri scoffed as the man waved the "divine" cell phone in the air, telling the story to any idiot who would listen. He shook his head and headed to the parking garage with his luggage. Where did people come UP with this shit? After a few steps he noticed that his pink-haired "shadow" was missing from his side. "Shuichi?"

He turned around to find his gullible lover crossing the street to see the "divine cell phone" for himself. With the exception of the large duffel bag strapped over the boy's shoulder, his luggage lay abandoned at the hotel entrance.

"Come on, you moron!" Eiri yelled, causing Shuichi to stop in the middle of the street. He turned to look at the blond, nearly getting hit by a car in the process. "Get out of the road, idiot!" Eiri shouted. The singer ran to the other side of the street, where the "awakened" monk was waiting to tell his story. The writer groaned. Where did all these religious nuts come from, and why was he always the unfortunate person who chanced upon them?

"Yuki, this phone has our picture on it!" Shuichi yelled from across the road.

The writer left his suitcase against the side of the building and marched across the street, not heeding the cars honking at him. _Of all the stupid, moronic..._

"See?" Shuichi pointed excitedly when Eiri had reached the other side. "Look!"

Eiri examined the "phenomenon" for himself; and sure enough the brat had been telling the truth. The print club photo he and Shuichi had taken at the amusement park ages ago was still stuck on the inside flap of the phone where he'd strategically placed it so that Shuichi wouldn't see it.

"That's my phone!" he yelled at the monk accusingly, as if the poor man had picked his pocket rather than innocently picked up the discarded item off the ground.

The monk bolted, phone in hand, deciding that the irate blonde was a madman trying to steal his holy relic. Buddha had sent it to _him_ after all, why should he give it away to some thief? Eiri took off after him, and after standing around bewildered for a few seconds Shuichi followed suite, still lugging the heavy bag over his shoulder. Four blocks later Eiri recovered his cell phone after catching up with the monk and threatening to beat him within an inch of his life if he didn't hand it over.

"That was a terrible thing to do, Yuki!" Shuichi scolded as they headed back to the hotel. "Monks are supposed to be treated with respect!"

"Well then shut up and get off my back already. I'm a monk, treat me with respect." He pocketed his broken cell phone, grinning smugly. Shuichi just sighed tiredly.

When they reached the hotel entrance, the two were in for a nasty shock.

"Where's our luggage?" Shuichi asked meekly, hoping his lover would have a good, logical explanation as to why their suitcases weren't where they'd left them.

"It got stolen, you **_IDIOT_**!" the other man roared.

Any explanation except THAT.

. . .

The day just kept getting worse. The car ran out of gas just before they reached the police station and the two men had to push it into the parking lot. Officer Eto laughed his ass off as they told him about the car and reported their stolen luggage, and after muttering something about karmic justice handed them some papers to fill out and asked to see their identification.

_Of course that prick would have to be on duty!_ Eiri thought, gritting his teeth as he reached in his pocket for his wallet. When he realized it wasn't there, he tried the other side. Not there either. "Where's my wallet?" he asked Shuichi.

"I think I put it in your suit...case..." Shuichi responded, his voice dying off and he suddenly realized what that meant. He whimpered at the expression on the blond's face. The last time he'd seen that look on a man's face was just before he'd received a sound beating as a child for throwing his father's gold watch down the garbage disposal.

Eiri took several deep breaths, trying his best to remain calm. _I will not kill the brat, I will not kill the brat, I will NOT kill the brat..._ "Where is _your_ wallet?" he asked.

"R-right here..." Shuichi pulled his wallet out of his pocket and gingerly handed it over.

Eiri pulled out Shuichi's I.D. card and flung it at Officer Eto, before checking to see how much cash the brat had on hand. "Where's your money?" he asked, when he couldn't find any.

"I'm... kinda all out of money," the singer said sheepishly. "I spent the rest of it at that drug store. Well, except for some change... and I used _that_ in the candy machine in the hotel. I still have all the stuff I bought, though!" He pulled a plastic bag of assorted crap out of his duffel bag.

"Don't you have any credit cards?" Eiri asked. Shuichi shook his head. Yet another thing the blond had not known about his boyfriend. How could any successful musician, particularly one associated with a top label like N-G, NOT own a credit card?

"I take it you don't have _your_ identification?" Officer Eto asked the blond, after handing Shuichi's card back to him.

"No. It was in the stolen luggage."

"Well, this will take a while then. I'll give you a form to fill out while we get legal proof of your identity."

"You know damn well who I am!" Eiri shouted, wondering just _how_ serious an offense punching a cop was.

Shuichi apparently recognized "that look" in his eyes. "No please," he whispered. "You can beat the shit out of _me_ later, just please don't get us thrown in jail again!"

Eiri growled and crossed his arms. "What about my car?" he asked Eto.

"If you can't afford to put gas in it it'll have to be towed."

"To _where_?"

"The impound lot."

"You're not towing my expensive car to a fucking impound lot!" Eiri shouted, shooting up from his seat. The people nearby stared at him, wondering what the hell his problem was.

"I suggest you calm down," Eto advised, glaring at him. "Or you'll find yourself in _another_ holding cell."

"Yuki, _please_," Shuichi begged, continuing to pull junk out of his duffel bag in hopes of finding something even remotely useful that could help their situation. At least he'd thrown Yuki's medicine in here instead of packing it in his lover's suitcase.

Eiri also noticed this when the younger man set his bag of medicines on the desk next to that stupid owl he'd insisted on buying. At least he still had his medication when he needed it, unlike the four cartons of cigarettes he'd bought last night. All he had left now was the pack in his pocket. Shame he couldn't trade Shuichi in for another four cartons.

The last thing his fool of a lover pulled out of the bag was the last thing the writer wanted to see. "Why in the hell did you pack THAT?" he shouted, eyeing the book that he had tried SO many times to get rid of.

"We couldn't just leave it in the hotel room," Shuichi reasoned.

"WE could have and YOU should have!" he yelled. He snatched the book out of the boy's hands and shoved it in Eto's face. "Here!"

"I don't want that piece of shit. Get it out of my face."

Shuichi blinked. "Huh?... But your father wrote it, didn't he?"

"Don't remind me. I still can't believe he would embarrass our family by writing something like that."

Eiri grunted. Maybe this guy wasn't as stupid as he thought.

Shuichi quickly took the book back and shoved it in his bag where it wouldn't antagonize either of the two men. "What are we going to do, Yuki? We haven't got any money and we can't get home. I'm hungry, and where are we going to _sleep?_"

Eiri ignored him. He was NOT calling Tohma or his brother. There was no way in HELL he was letting anyone he knew hear about this!

"Look, if it'll get you two out of here I'll call my nephew when we're done here and see if you can stay with him for the night. That way I'll have somewhere to contact you if we locate your missing property," Eto offered. He did NOT want to have to deal with these two all day.

Eiri was just beginning to think that maybe _this_ Eto wasn't so bad after all, until the cop added, "He just opened a restaurant two blocks away. I'm sure he'll give you a meal or two if you help out around the place."

Eiri twitched. "Restaurant?"

"Oh, come on, Yuki!" Shuichi prodded encouragingly. "Restaurants have food! How bad could washing dishes or waiting tables for a day be?"

. . .

"Welcome to Yoshi's!" A giant pink-haired hamburger called out to the crowd of people passing the small restaurant. "Come and try the delicious food and great service at our fine establishment!"

"I'm going to kill you, you little punk!" the giant milkshake standing next to him whispered as he passed out flyers. "Just you wait... One of these days, when you _least_ expect it, I am going to _kill_ you!"

The hamburger gulped.

.

_End chapter ten_


	11. Chapter 11 Calm Before the Storm

**Fleeting Inspiration**  
by Anna Sartin

. . .

**Chapter Eleven: **Calm Before the Storm

.

Yoshi Eto turned out to be a very pleasant half-Japanese young man about Shuichi's age. As they conversed over dinner that evening Eiri and Shuichi learned that Yoshi and his sister Lola had both recently arrived in Japan from America after graduating high school.

"Are you two twins?" Shuichi asked.

Yoshi laughed, slightly embarrassed. "No, I just got held back in school a couple of times. I wasn't exactly what you'd call a model student."

Shuichi laughed. "Me neither. My family always complained I was a total embarrassment!"

"Same here. My dad's always lecturing me about ruining the family reputation and Mom claims that the hospital must've given her the wrong baby because no child of _her's_ could be that stupid!"

"My mom said the same thing!" They both laughed. Eiri just rolled his eyes.

"Grandfather paid for us both to move out here after graduating and even helped me open this restaurant," Yoshi continued. "Man, were my parents ever pissed! Dad wanted us to go college, but who the hell wants to go to school for another four years when you can start your own business NOW?"

"Especially when you can get away your nagging parents in the process," Eiri said, remembering the days when he'd enjoyed having the entire Pacific Ocean between himself and his father.

"Exactly!"

Eiri wasn't about to admit it, but he rather liked this kid. In some ways he reminded him of Shuichi, in others he reminded him of himself in his younger days. He could definitely relate to the young man's desire for independence.

"My sister's got it even better," Yoshi said, taking a sip of his tea. "Grandfather paid to have all her little high school friends flown here so they could start a band. He paid some record label a fortune to let her make a CD."

Eiri smirked. So _that's_ why Seguchi had let _Whispering Phantom_ join N-G. Tohma was a shrewd business man; he'd probably squeezed a king's ransom out of Mamoru Eto. Or maybe Eto had _offered_ him a king's ransom. Either way Tohma wasn't about to pass up a small fortune.

"The thing is, they're _awful!_" Yoshi continued. "I used to have to listen to them play in our parents' garage back home. I love my sister but she can NOT sing. Plus none of her friends can speak Japanese so I don't know why the hell they bothered coming here."

"Why didn't they just start a band in America?" Shuichi asked.

"Foreign music doesn't exactly fly over there, you know? Besides, Grandfather wanted us _here_. That's why he did all this for us, to get us to move to Japan. He's been trying to get Dad to move here for years. He thinks if he brings us here it'll force Dad to give in. It won't work, though. Mom hates it here, she can't even _speak_ Japanese."

"Do YOU like it here?" Eiri asked.

"Yeah, but... I'm still a little homesick. My girlfriend got admitted into some university in Europe that I can't even _pronounce_ and I really miss her. Plus I don't really seem to fit in here. My uncle thinks I'm an idiot, my cousins made fun of me as soon as I _got_ here for graduating with my little sister and I really, _really_ hate Japanese food."

"Is that why you opened an American-style restaurant?" Shuichi asked.

"Yeah, but it doesn't hold a candle to my mom's cooking. Sometimes I miss that even more than my girlfriend!" he laughed wistfully. He got up to answer the phone ringing in the next room.

"He's nice," Shuichi said to his lover when their host had left the room. "I like him."

"Even if he is _HER_ brother?" Eiri asked playfully.

"Yeah. He ordered Japanese food for dinner for us even though he hates it. It's a shame their grandfather didn't give HER the restaurant and HIM the contract with N-G!"

"His singing might not be any better than his sister's," Eiri pointed out.

"Well at least he knows when something sucks!"

Eiri scoffed. "You mean like those stupid costumes we had to wear earlier?"

"Hey guys! They found your luggage!" Yoshi yelled, running into the room with the phone. He handed it to Eiri.

The blond learned that their luggage hadn't been stolen at all. Someone had taken it into the hotel and the hotel had been trying to contact them all day. Unfortunately the contact number on Eiri's suitcase was his broken cell phone (Eiri was seriously cursing his stupidity for throwing it out the window) and Shuichi's luggage tags listed their home number. Nobody had answered the phone at home, thankfully. If his annoying brother heard even a fraction of what had transpired during past few days Eiri would never hear the end of it. He'd already sworn Shuichi to secrecy about wearing that stupid milkshake costume. (Actually, he'd threatened to kill the pink-haired idiot if he ever told anyone about it.)

"How are we going to pick up our stuff?" Shuichi asked after the blond explained the situation to him. "We don't even know where the car is!"

"Why don't you stay here tonight?" Yoshi asked. "We can figure out how to get your stuff back in the morning."

Having no better ideas at the moment, Eiri agreed.

. . .

The next morning Yoshi drove them to the hotel, where Eiri encountered a new problem.

"I'm sorry, Sir, I can't release your luggage to you without identification."

"My identification is IN the suitcase!"

"We can't open suitcases without the owner's permission."

"I'm giving it to you! Open the damned suitcase and check the I.D. so we can get out of here! If I don't get my car out of the impound lot by noon today I'll be charged double!"

"Sir, I can't open the suitcase unless you can verify your identity."

Eiri groaned and turned to his companions as if to say 'Now what?' Shuichi sighed and went to the counter next. He could at least claim _his_ property. Yoshi suggested calling his uncle and seeing if there was anything he could do.

"Excuse me, sir?"

Eiri turned around to see who was addressing him.

"Oh my god it IS you!" a young woman shrieked. "It's Yuki Eiri!"

_Oh shit._

"Yuki Eiri, the author?" someone else asked.

"Where, WHERE?"

Before he knew it the blond was surrounded by people begging for autographs. He eyed the door, wondering if he could make a run for it. Not an option. He was cornered. He smiled politely while cursing inwardly at Shuichi for packing his sunglasses in his suitcase.

Yoshi just stared, amazed. "Are you famous or something?"

"Yuki-sama, sign my bra!" a teenage girl screamed, ripping open her shirt.

Yoshi's eyes bugged out of his head. "I'll... take that as a yes."

Eiri groaned. "Ladies, please..."

"Back off!" Shuichi yelled, charging through the crowd. "Yuki is mine!" He growled at the semi-exposed teenager like a dog warning another dog away from his bone.

"Oh wow, it's SHUICHI SHINDO!" several people in the crowd screamed. The singer was instantly tackled by a legion of squealing fans.

Eiri rolled his eyes. _That idiot..._

"Help! Yuki, _HELP ME!_"

Yoshi immediately moved to rescue Shuichi from the pile of bodies now cutting off his air supply, while Eiri eyed the crowd of people thoughtfully. He had an idea. "Excuse me ladies, but would any of you happen to have one of my books?" he asked, smiling at the adoring crowd.

"I have them all, Yuki-sama!"

"Me too! Every one you wrote!"

More people yelled the same, others started listing the titles they'd purchased. Eiri motioned for the crowd to settle down. "I mean do any of you have one _with_ you, right now?"

"I have one in my hotel room!" someone yelled from the back.

"Could you let me borrow it for a moment?" Eiri asked the woman. "I'll sign it for you."

She took off like a bat out of hell, heading for the elevator. In the meantime Eiri pacified the crowd by answering random questions (Why the hell did anyone care what shampoo he used, anyway?) and asking what they'd like to see him to write next. When at last the woman came running back waving a hardbound copy of "Cool" he took it from her and glided over to the service desk where his luggage was being (with)held. Naturally his sea of admirers followed.

"You want proof of my identity?" he asked the woman behind the counter. He opened the book to his photo and name on the back flap and shoved it in front of her face. "_Here_!"

. . .

After receiving an apology from the embarassed hotel cleck and reclaiming his property, Eiri signed and returned "Cool" to its overjoyed owner. He then gave a small speech to the crowd and excused himself, saying he had an important matter to attend to. The crowd respectfully dispersed, and Eiri headed to the door with Yoshi and Shuichi. He eyed his lover's disheveled clothing, which now sported several rips and tears. Honestly, a small crowd of women was not _that_ difficult to control. Women were so easy to manipulate, all you had to do was smile at them and make sure you kept the upper hand! Didn't the brat know _anything?  
_  
Shuichi opened the door for them and immediately slammed it shut again.

"What's your problem?" Eiri asked, annoyed. He didn't have time for the brat's stupidity. He wanted to get to the impound lot before noon. He opened the door himself, and was greeted by a sea of people chanting his name. Obviously someone had run off and told their friends that Eiri Yuki was in town and the rumor had spread like wildfire. He steeled himself, preparing to go out into the storm. Women were not hard to manage, he'd show Shuichi a thing or two! This would NOT be that difficult.

He took one step outside and several people grabbed at him at once. Others threw things in his direction. What might have been a pair of panties hit him in the face and a book went sailing over his head, hitting either Yoshi or Shuichi behind him. He tried to take a step back but some idiotic woman grabbed his tie, cutting off both his oxygen and his escape. Wait a second... he wasn't _wearing_ a tie! So what the hell was around his neck?

Yoshi grabbed the author from behind and pulled him back inside, slamming the door shut. "Never a dull moment with you two, is there?"

Eiri just growled, pulling off the pair of pantyhose around his neck.

.

_End chapter eleven_


	12. Chapter 12 The Impound Lot

**Fleeting Inspiration**  
by Anna Sartin

. . .

**Chapter Twelve:** The Impound Lot

.

After unsuccessfully trying to escape from the hotel out the back entrance, Eiri, Shuichi and Yoshi had been escorted out of the main lobby and into a secure waiting room for their own safety. The mob had broken through hotel security and was raiding the place. Screams of "Come out, Yuki-sama!" and "Shuichi, I love you!" could be heard from one end of the hotel to the other. The two men sat in silence, too embarrassed to speak.

Yoshi called his uncle for help. Officer Eto assumed his nephew was exaggerating until he arrived on the scene. He took one look at the chaos surrounding the hotel and called for back up, realizing it was going to take more than just one cop to get the situation under control. Honestly, trouble followed those two _everywhere!_

After discussing a plan of action with hotel security, he escorted his nephew to his car first. They were followed by two hotel employees carrying Eiri and Shuichi's luggage and a security guard bringing up the rear. When everything was loaded in the car he told Yoshi to drive to the front the building and wait for further instructions.

So far so good.

Unfortunately Yoshi had a long wait. When the local police arrived, it took them over half an hour to get the situation under control enough to get Eiri and Shuichi out of the building and safely into Yoshi's car. A security guard held the back door open for them, and the two men scurried to get inside away from the flashing cameras and random objects being thrown at them. One of the random objects that hit Shuichi in the head actually _was_ a camera. He wondered if the owner had not known what she was throwing in her excitement, or if it had been snatched away by another fan and thrown before she could do anything about it. Well, either way it was his now! The singer quickly locked the door behind him, just in case one of the lunatics out there managed to get past the line of police and security officers guarding the vehicle.

Someone threw a bra at the windshield, which got stuck on a windshield wiper. Yoshi tried to get it off by turning on the wipers but that only made it go back and forth, blocking his vision. As he drove away someone jumped in front of the car, causing him to swerve and nearly hit a fire hydrant in the corner of the parking lot. "These people are crazy!" he yelled. "If this is the kind of 'fame and fortune' Lola wants she can _have_ it!"

There was an upside to the situation. Officer Eto's police car was ahead of them, escorting them to the impound lot. It was helpful not only for security reasons but also because none of the three men driving behind him and any clue where it was.

Eiri looked at his watch, hoping there was still time to make it to the lot before noon. He hated leaving his car there overnight. There was no telling what those fools might have done to it and the fact that he had to pay to get it released seemed totally unfair. Having to pay DOUBLE if he didn't retrieve it before noon was just ludicrous and it seriously pissed him off. It was just another way for the city to steal honest citizens' money! "I wish your uncle would step on it!" he told Yoshi. "He drives like he's eighty!"

"He's a police officer; he can't break the law," Yoshi reasoned. "He can't go past the speed limit unless there's an emergency."

"Hmph." Eiri crossed his arms, sulking. He hardly _ever_ obeyed the speed limit. It was just so... _slow_. "I want to get my car out of that lot before some fool scratches it!"

"Scratches can be fixed, can't they?" Shuichi asked, examining his new camera.

"That's not the point!"

"It's just a car, Yuki."

"I like that car better than I like YOU!"

Shuichi burst into tears, crying "Yuki doesn't love me anymore!"

"When did I ever say I loved you in the first place!"

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Yoshi watched the scene from his rear-view mirror. "Are you guys gay or something?"

Shuichi immediately stopped crying, and the "Shut up!" Eiri was about to yell died in his throat. They looked at each other.

"Well, yeah..." Shuichi answered. "You couldn't tell?"

Eiri smacked the singer upside the head.

"Ow!"

Yoshi laughed. "No, but I guess I should have known. You two fight like an old married couple!"

Eiri groaned, covering his face with his hand. Shuichi meanwhile took the opportunity to snuggle up to his partner in the back seat. He sighed dreamily. "Married to Yuki..."

Eiri pushed the boy away. "Dream on!"

"Aw... But I love YOU, Yuki! And we make such a picturesque couple, see? Smile for the camera!"

"Huh?" Before Eiri knew it Shuichi had squished them together again and held the camera in front of their faces, pressing the button. The flash when off and everything went white. Shuichi curled up against his love again happily, while Eiri spent the rest of the ride trying to rub the white specks from his vision. "Damn brat..."

. . .

The person in charge of the impound lot was a tall, thin man with a bored expression on his face. It reminded Shuichi of when he and Yuki had first met. Back then the writer had worn that expression nearly everyday and Shuichi had often wondered if his lover was looking _through_ things rather than _at_ them. He was glad his lover rarely sported that expression nowadays. He still looked annoyed half the time but it was an improvement. He snapped another photo as Eiri pulled out his driver's license and some money and handed it to the guy in the booth.

"Will you STOP that!" the blonde yelled. He turned back to the man and told him his license plate number.

"Okay, we've got your vehicle in space 12-B," the man told them, counting the cash he'd been given. Finally he looked up and said, "This isn't enough money, Sir."

"What do you mean _this isn't enough money_?" Eiri asked. He held up his slip listing the amount due. "I gave you MORE than enough!"

"It's after twelve o'clock, Sir. That's an additional day's charge."

"MY WATCH SAYS 11:59!" Eiri shouted.

"The clock here says 12:01," the man responded, not phased in least from being yelled at. Angry people was something he had to deal with on a daily basis.

Eiri turned to Shuichi for back up, but the singer held up his bare wrists to show he wasn't wearing a watch. He turned to Yoshi next, who was holding the bra he'd just untangled from his windshield wiper.

"Mine says twelve exactly."

"The clock here says 12:01," the man repeated. "That's an additional day's charge."

"MY CAR HASN'T EVEN BEEN HERE A FULL TWENTY-FOUR HOURS!" Eiri shouted, grabbing the guy behind the counter by his shirt.

The man started yelling for the police, and Officer Eto forced the blond to release him as Shuichi snapped yet another photo.

"I told you to STOP that, brat!"

Officer Eto looked at HIS watch as Eiri chased his lover around in circles. The cop finally looked at the man in the booth and said, "It's 11:58. Give this man his car so we can get the hell out of here."

. . .

"Some adventure, huh?" Yoshi asked his uncle a half hour later as the two had lunch together at a small coffee shop. After helping his new friends transfer the luggage to their car and letting Shuichi take his picture with his uncle as a souvenir they'd all said their good-byes and parted ways.

"If that's what you want to call it," the older Eto said. "I'm just glad it's over."

"I'm going to miss them," Yoshi replied. "They were fun to have around."

The cop snorted. "I think you spend too much time having fun and not enough time taking care of business. How do you expect the restaurant to do well if you're never there to manage it?"

The younger man tried not to roll his eyes. His uncle was as serious about his new business as his father had been about his education. He wondered how long it would take for the members of his family to realize that he could take care of himself. "It'll be fine," Yoshi answered. "Those two bought in more business yesterday than I've had all week!"

"At least they're useful for SOMETHING besides making scenes and causing riots."

Yoshi laughed. "It's a good thing you were there to straighten out that guy at the impound lot about the time, or-"

"...or Mr. Yuki would have caused _another_ scene," the cop finished for him. "That man has serious issues and I'm tired of dealing with them." He took a drink of his coffee before asking, "You want to know a secret?"

Yoshi blinked. "Sure."

The older man grinned and pointed to his watch. "It was really 12:02."

.

_End chapter twelve_


	13. Chapter 13 Back In Town

**Fleeting Inspiration**  
by Anna Sartin

. . .

**Chapter 13**: Back In Town

.

Eiri snapped the button on Shuichi's camera while his smiling lover stood in front of him clutching his new pillow. After finding "just the right one" on their way back to town Shuichi had pestered him all the way to their next destination to take his picture with it. Why the brat wanted to have his picture taken with a pillow was beyond him, but by the time he pulled into the parking lot of "Machiyama's Discount Bedding" and found a parking space he'd agreed just to shut him up.

"Can we go buy a mattress now?" Eiri asked, handing the camera back to the pink-haired fool. "I'd like to get this done before the dawn of the _next_ new millennium!"

Shuichi locked the pillow in the car and returned to his boyfriend's side like a well-trained pet. "Yep!"

Inside the beds were arranged at a slant. Shuichi ran from one bed to another, trying them out.

"Try this one, Yuki! It's super-mega soft!"

Eiri sat down next to his lover and literally sank into the mattress. "It's TOO soft, idiot."

"It's cushy!"

"I said no!"

Eiri had promised himself ahead a time that he would listen to Shuichi's suggestions when choosing a new mattress, but he was NOT buying a mattress he wasn't comfortable on, no matter how much Shuichi liked it. The couple went from bed to bed, trying each one out in turn. Too soft. Too hard. Too small. Too squeaky.

_Squeaky?_

Were mattresses supposed to squeak when they were still new? They quickly moved away from that one.

"Can I help you, gentlemen?" a salesman in a cheap red suit asked, coming up to them. On his chest he wore a name tag that said _'I am Samu!'_

Eiri raised an eyebrow. Glad he wasn't stuck with _that_ name.

"We're looking for a mattress!" Shuichi informed him, as if they'd be shopping for anything _else_ in a mattress store.

"Are you looking for a bed frame as well? We're having a great sale on-"

"Just a mattress," Eiri cut him off.

"Uh... right. And which one of you is the mattress for?"

"Both of us!" Shuichi piped up, before Eiri could stop him.

"Oh, you're each looking for a mattress?"

"Nope, just one," Shuichi smiled.

"Uh... riiight," Samu responded, suddenly looking very nervous. "W-well feel free to look around and let m- I-I mean someone know if you need anything." He bowed and quickly made himself scarce.

Shuichi crossed his arms and puffed his cheeks, looking rather childish. "Homophobe."

"At least he was easy to get rid of," Eiri said, examining one of the more expensive mattresses. He hated being shadowed by salesmen while he was trying to shop.

"Hey Yuki, you've got to see this!" his lover called from the back of the store a few minutes later.

He went to investigate what had his boyfriend so excited and found him laying on a bed in the corner playing with a remote controller attached to it.

"This is so cool! You push the buttons and the bed gets harder or softer depending on what you push!"

"Let me see." Eiri joined him on the other side of the bed and took the controller from him, curious to see for himself. He fiddled around with the buttons but nothing happened. "Nothing's happening."

"Sure it is."

"I don't feel any difference."

"That's because you've got the controller for my side of the bed. You need to use the one for YOUR side of the bed."

"My side of the..." He reached over and pulled out an identical controller attached to the left side of the bed. He felt the surface beneath him harden as he held down one of the buttons. Another button softened the mattress until it was as "cushy" as the first mattress they'd tried. He had to admit this thing was amazing. He adjusted the firmness back and forth until it was absolutely perfect.

With this there would be no need to compromise with his lover on a new mattress. He and Shuichi could each adjust their side of the bed to their liking.

"I love this thing!" Shuichi laughed, pushing the "VIBRATE" button on his controller.

"It vibrates?"

"Yeah! There's also a "HEAT" button."

Eiri pushed the "VIBRATE" button on his own controller and closed his eyes, enjoying the sensation. His whole body began to relax, until he suddenly saw Shuichi's camera flash through his closed eyelids. He opened his eyes and glared.

"I'm sorry, Yuki!" Shuichi laughed sheepishly. "You just look so sexy laying there I couldn't help myself!"

The blond grinned. "Sexy, am I?"

Shuichi nodded, smiling.

Eiri rolled over onto his lover and kissed him. Shuichi, delighted by the change in his lover's mood, latched onto him and kissed back hungrily. He couldn't say how long they lay in that position, but it ended all too quickly when they heard someone clearing their throat beside them.

Eiri broke the kiss and looked to the side, where Samu was standing beside the bed with a disapproving look on his face.

The blond cleared his own throat before grinning at the salesman and saying, "I guess we'll take this one."

. . .

The electronics store was only a few blocks away from Machiyama's on the corner of 4th Street and Main. Shuichi pulled "Four Gay Elves" out of his duffel bag as they parked in front of the store.

"What are you going to do with that?" Eiri inquired as he turned off the car.

"The library's right around the corner. We can drop this in the donation box when we're done here," he answered.

Eiri had to admit it was a good idea. He wanted to get rid of the blasted thing once and for all. Their new mattress was going to be delivered to the apartment later in the day, and he'd feel a lot better if they lost their "bad luck charm" before then. Not that he was superstitious or anything. He eyed the book warily as he opened the car door, just to make sure it didn't jump out at him when his back was turned.

_I seriously need to get rid of that thing. It's starting to screw with my head._

When he stepped out of the car the first thing he saw was his brother running down the street like his ass was on fire.

"What the HELL?"

Ryuichi ran close behind, while the "owner of The Daily Bread" chased them with a cookbook. Pages were flying everywhere, and she stopped every few seconds to pick some up while ranting about how they'd "disturbed the Lord's day of rest".

_Didn't I throw that stupid book in a dumpster?_ Eiri wondered, watching the pages fly past the three runners.

The wind was to their backs, so it looked like Tatsuha and Ryuichi were running in a flurry of recipes. Ryuichi dropped Kumagoro and was forced to backtrack to get him. Unfortunately, he was _sidetracked_ as well.

"Look, Tatsuha!" he called, picking up one of the pages off the ground. "A recipe for homemade ice-cream!"

"Run!" the young monk shouted, but it was too late. In the short time it took Ryuichi to forget why he'd stopped (or, indeed, why he was running in the first place), the crazy woman had picked up Kumagoro off the ground. The childlike singer whimpered as he suddenly found her standing over him, clutching his rabbit dangerously.

Eiri lips curled into a smile and laughter erupted from his body before he could stop it.

"You want something to take a picture of, brat? Take a picture of THAT!"

Shuichi did so, before looking up at his lover and asking, "Shouldn't we HELP them?"

Ryuichi and Tatsuha resumed running away as the woman chased after them waving the cookbook in one hand and the singer's stuffed animal in the other. Shuichi took another picture.

Eiri continued to laugh as he walked away. _HIM_ help that blackmailing little twerp? "HELL no!"

.

_End chapter thirteen_


	14. Chapter 14 The Rescue of Kumagoro

**Fleeting Inspiration**  
by Anna Sartin

. . .

**Chapter 14:** The Rescue of Kumagoro

.

When given the choice between buying a new cell phone or fixing his old one, Eiri was surprised to find himself leaning toward getting his present phone repaired. He could easily get a new one now as opposed to waiting two weeks for his current one to be fixed and sent back, yet he still found himself wanting the old one. He regretted throwing it out the window in the first place and felt rather foolish for doing so. He just couldn't control his temper! He ran his thumb over the small photo on the inside flap, feeling even more foolish when he finally told the man behind the counter to repair it.

"Whatever you say, buddy," the man said, taking the phone from him. "It will be mailed back to your house when they fix it so you won't need to come back here."

"Good, and..." he looked around quickly, making sure Shuichi was nowhere in earshot before whispering, "Tell them not to mess with the photo sticker on the flap. I don't want it to get ruined."

The man laughed, but not unkindly. "I'll make a note of it when I send in your order."

"Thank you." The novelist's voice was gruff as he tried to maintain an air of dignity.

Loud shouting and crashing could be heard from outside, but Eiri ignored it. His blackmailing brat of a brother could clean up his own messes, he sure as hell wasn't under any obligation to help him. The little shit had no problem helping himself to his beer, his bed and his credit card; Eiri wasn't helping him with anything else!

Now to find _his_ brat. He wasn't in the section where the radios were displayed, so the novelist wandered around in search of him. He found his pink-haired companion dancing in the back of the store with a pair of headphones on. A salesman stood a few feet away, smiling politely.

"Look at this Mp3 player!" Shuichi called loudly, apparently trying to hear his own voice over the music blasting in his ears.

"You already HAVE an Mp3 player," Eiri said.

"But this one has a radio in it! Now I won't have to lug a radio around!"

_And I won't have to listen to it,_ Eiri thought, immediately seeing the positive side to this purchase. "Fine. Hurry up so we can get out of here."

Shuichi smiled and nodded to the salesman, before taking the headphones off and handing the Mp3 player back to him. The man returned the display model to the glass case and handed Shuichi a packaged one, then motioned for them to follow him. Shuichi grabbed Eiri's hand, dragging him along.

The noise outside was getting louder. A strange banging noise started up, accompanied by Ryuichi's loud wailing.

"What's going ON out there?" Shuichi asked.

"Who cares?" Eiri replied, getting out a credit card to pay for Shuichi's new 100+ toy. "Better them than us."

When they had finished paying Shuichi ran to the door to see what was going on. "Yuki, come here! You've got to see this!" he yelled, running out the door. Eiri followed him, shoving the sales receipt in his pocket as he exited the store.

The homeless woman was running down the middle of the street, rolling a garbage can in front of her and beating it with a stick. Ryuichi ran close behind her, wailing like a toddler who'd lost his favorite toy. Tatsuha and another man (a bum, Eiri surmised by the state of his clothes) struggled to keep up with them.

"What the hell is going on NOW?" Eiri asked no one in particular as he took in the strange scene.

The trash can soon got away from the woman and she struggled in vain to catch up with it. She waved her stick in the air, hitting anything that crossed her path. Tatsuha was yelling for Ryuichi to wait for him, but Ryuichi only continued to cry as he chased the homeless woman. The bum was shouting that he wanted his trash can back.

"What the hell is that idiot's problem?" Eiri asked.

Shuichi tugged on the writer's sleeve to get his attention and pointed to the garbage can as it rolled past them. Something pink was rolling around inside it.

"Can't we DO something, Yuki?"

"It's not our business."

"Please?"

Eiri rolled his eyes. "Give me that book."

Shuichi handed him "Four Gay Elves" and the author threw it at the crazy woman as she ran past them. The book hit its target and she tripped, falling flat on her face. Ryuichi ran past her in hot pursuit of the rolling trash can. Tatsuha passed her next, followed by the bum who (purposely?) stepped on her head. After yelling something in English that was definitely NOT Christian, she picked up the book that had caused her to fall.

Eiri smirked, glad to finally be rid of the book that haunted him._ Guess she found a new bible to replace that damned cookbook._ She could keep it with his blessing!

Ryuichi finally caught up to the garbage can, stopped it, and crawled inside to rescue his beloved Kumagoro. Tatsuha finally caught up to _him_ and helped him out again, before the bum finally caught up to them and a loud shouting match broke out between them.

"Let's get out of here," Eiri said, heading for the car.

"Do you think she's going to sit there all day?" Shuichi asked, pointing to where the homeless woman was now sitting in a the middle of the road reading her new book.

"No, just until someone runs over her," the author replied, unlocking the car. "Then they'll have to scrap her off the street like road kill."

"Yuki!"

"What?" the author asked in mock-innocence.

"That's gross."

"Yes. Yes it is."

"Do we have to go home now?"

"Yes. Why?"

"Well... I guess I just wish our vacation wasn't over yet," Shuichi said softly. "Can we go to the movies or something?"

"They're delivering our mattress this afternoon, remember? We have to be there to let them in."

"Oh..." Shuichi tried to hide his disappointment, but his voice dripped with it.

Eiri stared at him for a moment with an unreadable expression on his face before saying, "We could _rent_ a movie though, and watch it together."

Shuichi's face lit up. "Really?"

"Yeah."

"Can I pick the movie?"

"Sure."

"Yay!"

"As long as it isn't something boring or retarded," Eiri quickly amended.

"Can it be like a date?"

"People don't have dates at their house, stupid."

"Well... can we snuggle on the couch and _pretend_ we're on a date?"

Eiri fought to keep his lips from curling into a smile. "Whatever."

Shuichi squealed happily before asking, "Can we order take out? Can we make popcorn? Can we-

"Fine! Whatever! Just shut _up_!"

"Yuki I _love_ you!" Shuichi cried happily, grabbing his lover.

"You idiot! Get off!" He tried to push Shuichi away as he swerved sharply to the right, missing the woman in the street by mere inches.

"Wow, she can move!" Shuichi said as they watched her scurry out of the road.

Eiri glared at the singer warningly as they drove away. "You do that again and you'll be riding home in the trunk!"

.

_End chapter fourteen_


	15. Home Again, Home Again, Dancing a Jig

**Fleeting Inspiration**  
by Anna Sartin

. . .

**Chapter 15:** Home Again, Home Again Dancing a Jig

.

When Eiri and Shuichi got home from the video store they found that Tatsuha and Ryuichi had already beaten them there. Eiri found them laying on their stomachs on the living room floor playing with... something... made out of cardboard. He took a closer look while Shuichi dragged in their luggage.

"The Daily Box" had been transformed into a miniature cardboard house. A door had been cut out at one side and windows had been drawn (some not quite at the correct angle) on the others. The whole box had been colored with Ryuichi's scribbling, although "The Daily Box" could still be read quite clearly on all four sides. The four flaps at the top had been cut to meet at a point and make a roof.

"What the hell is _that?_" Eiri asked.

"It's a house for Kumagoro!" Ryuichi said proudly. "Tatsuha helped me make it. Look!"

He motioned for them to look inside the house, where Kumagoro was sitting in a miniature-sized beach chair.

"It smells," the writer said disdainfully, crinkling his nose.

"That lady threw him in the garbage," Ryuichi said in a small voice. "It's not _his_ fault..."

"I suggest you give him a bath before _I_ throw him in the garbage," the blonde replied, without realizing that he had switched to addressing the older man's toy as _him_ instead of _it_. He headed off to the kitchen to get a beer, ignoring the over-grown child's whining. Surprisingly his brother followed him instead of taking to opportunity to comfort the object of his affection.

"Had enough of him yet?" Eiri asked as they entered the kitchen.

"No!" Tatsuha answered quickly, appalled that his brother would even _suggest_ such a thing. "I'm just worn out is all. Why didn't you take us home with you?"

"So you saw us, did you?"

"How could I _not_ notice you throwing a book in the middle of the street and knocking a woman over?"

Eiri grunted in response.

"You could have waited for us!" Tatsuha said indignantly.

"Could have, but didn't," the blonde replied, opening the fridge in search of some much-needed alcoholic relief.

It was empty.

"WHERE THE HELL IS MY WUDBEISER!" Eiri shouted at the top of his lungs. The first two shelves of the refrigerator had been full when he left on vacation.

"I drank it," Tatsuha replied.

"ALL of it?"

"Yes. I was thirsty. You were gone for five days, Aniki."

Naturally the blonde had expected his brother to drink some of his beer while he was gone, but he hadn't expected to come home to an empty refrigerator. So he'd been gone one day longer than he'd planned; a man ought to be able to come home without finding some little twerp had polished off all his beer!

"Why the hell didn't you buy any more?"

"I'm underage, Aniki," Tatsuha reminded him.

"That never stopped you before!"

Tatsuha just shrugged. "I _needed_ it. You wouldn't believe the week I've had."

"And just what's that supposed to mean?" his brother inquired.

Tatsuha looked at him pitifully, tears starting to form in his eyes. Eiri was disturbed by how much his brother's expression reminded him of Shuichi.

"I didn't get laid!" the younger Uesugi brother wailed. "I had exams every morning this week and Ryuichi-sama made me study the rest of the day!" He clung to his brother's shirt and cried. "He got so excited when I told him that I could move here if I passed my exams that he wouldn't let me do anything else!"

Eiri fought the urge to snicker as he pushed his brother away. "You actually had to work for a whole week. Your life is SO hard," he mocked unsympathetically. "Now where's my credit card?"

"But I barely got a chance to use it!" Tatsuha protested.

"Even better. Now hand it over."

Tatsuha grumbled and pulled it out of his pocket. He threw it at his brother, just as Eiri had done earlier that week. "My life sucks."

"Join the club."

. . .

In the living room Shuichi and Ryuichi were dancing around, tripping over each other and stepping on one another's feet as they tried to share the headphones of Shuichi's new Mp3 player. Eiri just shook his head and grabbed his coat.

"Yuki, where are you going?" Shuichi asked, surrendering the headphones to Ryuichi and running over to his boyfriend.

"To buy beer."

"Wait, I'll come with you!"

"No. Stay here and wait for them to deliver our mattress."

"Oh Yuki!" he squealed happily, grabbing his lover and dancing for joy.

"What the hell is your problem?" Eiri asked, annoyed. He tried to push Shuichi off but the little singer refused to let go.

"You said OUR mattress!"

"I slipped! Now get off me or I won't let you sleep on it!"

"Nuh uh!" Shuichi waved his finger in the older man's face. "You promised to NEVER make me sleep on the couch again!"

"Get off _now_ or I'll make you sleep on the _FLOOR!_"

"Awww..." Shuichi slowly released him, feeling slightly betrayed by the threat. Eiri stalked out, slamming the door behind him.

Ryuichi continued to dance around, oblivious to what was going on around him. "Shuichi, you've GOT to show me where to get one of these things!" he laughed.

"So what happened to you guys?" Shuichi asked, when Tatsuha entered the room. The young monk pointed to his dancing boyfriend.

"He tripped over a box with a homeless woman inside it," Tatsuha explained. "She starting ranting like a lunatic and chased us down the street yelling something in English about God or something. She got a hold of Kumagoro and Ryuichi ran into a garbage can with _another_ homeless person in it and he started yelling at us-"

"I thought it was a hut," Ryuichi interrupted, taking off the headphones.

"Huh?" Shuichi asked, confused.

"That garbage can," Ryuichi said, "I thought it was a miniature hut- like for a display, you know- because there was a man in it."

"Anyway," Tatsuha continued. "She started waving a book in his face and he took it away from her, so _she_ stole the trash can- really pissed the guy off, by the way- and rolled it down the middle of the street w-"

"With Kumagoro inside it!" Ryuichi yelled, interrupting him again.

Tatsuha nodded. "We could have just left then and let them kill each other but we had to get Kumagoro-chan back."

"I saw," Shuichi said, noticing suddenly that Yuki had left his keys sitting on a table. The irritable blonde would be back in a moment, grouchier than ever, when he realized he didn't have them to start the car. "So how did you guys finally get away? You were arguing with that bum when Yuki and I left."

"We all made up," Ryuichi smiled. "That lady came back and told us we shouldn't fight because it wasn't Christian."

Shuichi actually fell over. "She WHAT? After all the trouble she caused she tells YOU not to fight?"

Ryuichi shrugged. "I told her we weren't Christian, so she gave us her bible to study. See?"

"Shuichi, where the hell are my keys?" Eiri asked, as he reentered the apartment.

Shuichi didn't- _couldn't_- say anything. He just stood there mutely, staring at the book Ryuichi was holding up.

Eiri looked too, and when his eyes fell upon it a scream erupted from his throat so loud that it echoed throughout the entire apartment community.

.

_End chapter fifteen_


	16. Chapter 16 More Brotherly Love

**Fleeting Inspiration**  
by Anna Sartin

. . .

**Chapter 16:** More Brotherly Love

.

"Do you feel any better?" Shuichi asked, gently rubbing Eiri's temples in a circular motion.

"No," the blonde answered, not bothering to open his eyes. "I feel like my brain's being beaten to a pulp."

"The medicine's not helping at all? Maybe you should lay down..."

"I don't need to lay down!" Eiri yelled, even as he let Shuichi help him do just that. The singer propped his head up with his 'new favorite pillow'. "I need to get that book out of my house! I'm telling you it's out to GET me!"

"Yuki, calm _down_," Shuichi pleaded. "You're going to make your headache worse."

"Do I really have to do this?" Tatsuha asked, coming up to where the couple was relaxing on the couch. He was wearing his brother's ceremonial robes, which where slightly too big for him. "I feel ridiculous."

"Shut up and go exorcize that damn book," Eiri told him.

"It's a just BOOK, Aniki! How can a _book_ be evil?"

"Please, Tatsuha?" Shuichi asked. "I know it's dumb, but if it'll make Yuki feel better..."

"This is stupid..." the young monk grumbled, slinking off to go "purge the evil" from _Four Gay Elves_.

"Where's the _other_ idiot?" Eiri asked Shuichi, who'd resumed massaging his boyfriend's temples.

"He's in the bathroom giving Kumagoro a bath."

"In the _bathroom_?"

"You TOLD him to do it! You threatened to throw him in the garbage, remember?"

"I meant for him to put his stuffed animal in the washing machine like a _sane_ person!"

The doorbell rang and Shuichi got up to answer it.

"Delivery for Eiri Yuki-san?"

"Yeah, through here," Shuichi said, opening the door wide so the men could bring the mattress in. "Yuki, they're here!"

When the blonde made no move to get up or even acknowledge that he'd heard, Shuichi led the delivery men to the bedroom. They passed by Tatsuha who had just begun performing his exorcism. The young monk looked surprisingly professional. One would never know that he was struggling to keep a straight face, due to the fact that he felt like the world's biggest fool.

They passed the bathroom next, where giggling and loud splashing could be heard from the other side of the door. One man almost dropped the mattress when he heard a man's voice say,

"Does that feel good, Kumagoro? Even if you do smell like garbage, I'll always love you!"

The delivery men exchanged (disturbed) glances, but continued on without comment.

. . .

Eiri didn't realize that he'd fallen asleep on the couch until he felt something land on his stomach.

"There. I exorcized your stupid book," Tatsuha said. "No demons or spirits to be found. The Forces of Evil didn't come flooding out of it, either."

Eiri lifted the book off his stomach and examined it, skimming through the pages. "Maybe it's possessed by the ghost of one of Mamoru Eto's ancestors. His living relatives are already haunting us, it wouldn't surprise me if a few dead ones were, too."

"Are you hearing yourself?" Tatsuha asked. "You sound ridiculous. Did you hit your head while you were on vacation or something?"

"Several times. But that book was out to get me LONG before then. It's stalking me!"

"Aniki, you sound like a crazy person."

"It's the truth! It followed me out of town and it's been following me ever since!"

Tatsuha rolled his eyes. "Whatever. I'm going to change. When's dinner?"

"Whenever you go get it," Eiri answered. "Shuichi and I are having dinner here. Alone."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning get _out_. And take your moron with you."

"Ryuichi-sama is NOT a moron! He's a _GOD!_"

"Whatever. Go away."

"But Mika's not taking me home until tomorrow!"

Eiri put the book down. "Mika's taking you home? What about your bike?"

"It's in the shop."

"Why?"

"I kinda ran into something when I first got into town..."

_"What?"_ Eiri asked, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"The N-G building."

"WHAT?"

"They wouldn't let me in to see Ryuichi! The security guard thought I was a perverted stalker or something and wouldn't let me in, so-"

"...So you just decided to barge in, smashing your bike in the process? I'm surprised you didn't get arrested."

"No, I got banned from the N-G building!" He put on his Sad Puppy face, hoping to evoke pity from his older sibling. Unfortunately the Sad Puppy look hadn't worked since he was eight but he could still give it a shot.

"You're an idiot," Eiri declared, getting up off the couch. "Fine. You can stay one more night, but get out of here for a while. I promised the brat some alone time."

"You've had five DAYS of alone time," Tatsuha said, following him into the kitchen.

"Don't even _mention_ the last five days!"

"Fine. Lend me a credit card for the night."

"No."

"I want to take Ryuichi-sama out to dinner!"

"He's worth _millions_. Let him take you out to dinner."

"Fork it over or I'm telling Mika!" Tatsuha demanded, holding out his hand.

Eiri snorted. Like he was going to let himself be blackmailed a _second_ time. No way in hell. "You do and I'll tell Father about your bike."

"You think Mika hasn't told him already?"

_The kid has a point,_ Eiri realized. Their sister _lived_ to put her nose in other people's business. In that way she and her husband were very much alike. "Well then, how about I tell him exactly WHY you're so gung-ho on getting into Tokyo University? I'm sure he'd be very interested to hear about your relationship with Mr. Bunny Man."

Tatsuha's eyes widened. "You wouldn't!"

"Try me."

"That's dirty!"

"Tell me about it. Now go away."

Furious, Tatsuha stormed out of the room. He was back less than thirty seconds later when a realization dawned on him. "Pay up!" he demanded, extending his hand again.

"Why should I?"

Because you OWE me!"

"For _what?_"

"For that exorcism! I charge everyone else for my services, why should you be any different?" Fierce determination burned in the young monk's eyes as he engaged his brother in a stare-down. He was not leaving until he got money to treat Ryuichi! He silently vowed not to move from that spot until he received what was due him.

"Fine."

Tatsuha nearly fell over. He hadn't expected his brother to cave in _that_ quickly.

"On one condition," Eiri continued, throwing _Four Gay Elves_ at his sibling. "You take that book with you and DON'T bring it back!"

"Done!"

.

_End chapter sixteen  
_


	17. Chapter 17 At Home Date

**Fleeting Inspiration**  
by Anna Sartin

. . .

**Chapter 17:** At-Home Date

.

Shuichi sighed contently, basking in the serenity of afterglow. Yuki's chest was soft and warm and he loved the sound of his lover's heart beating against his ear. As long as he was here, life was perfect. "I'm so happy..." he whispered.

Eiri smiled in spite of himself, slowly running his fingers through his lover's pink hair. "So am I, now that that wretched book is gone." He felt like a great weight had been lifted from around his neck.

Shuichi groaned into Eiri's bare chest as the doorbell rang. "I don't wanna answer it," he whined.

"That's our food you know," Eiri told him, making no move to get up himself.

"I know but I don't want to move..."

"We can always "christen" our new mattress again when we're done eating."

Shuichi laughed. "But then we'd never get to watch the movie we rented."

The doorbell rang again, causing them both to groan.

"JUST A MINUTE!" Eiri yelled, his voice vibrating against the ear Shuichi had pressed against his chest. It was followed by a rumbling sound coming from the blond's stomach.

Shuichi laughed.

"I guess I'd better go get the food. Yuki is hungry!" The pink-haired man slowly forced himself to get up and trudged off to go answer the door.

"Shuichi..."

The singer turned back to his lover, smiling. He loved the sound of his own name coming from the golden-haired man's lips. "Hm?"

"You aren't going to answer the door like that...?"

Shuichi looked down. He'd completely forgotten about his state of undress. "No!" he answered quickly, grabbing his boxers and slipping them on. Before Eiri knew what was happening, Shuichi had also snatched the older man's shirt from the pile of clothes on the floor.

"Hey, give that back!"

The younger man giggled mischievously and ran off, buttoning up the shirt as he did so.

"Brat..." Eiri muttered, reaching for his pair of pants.

. . .

The food was good, but several items they ordered were wrong.

"You just can't find competent people to run restaurants anymore, can you?" Shuichi asked over dinner. "Almost everything I ordered is wrong!"

"Maybe the guy on the phone couldn't understand you because you were stuttering so much," Eiri grinned, noting that he only had one incorrect item in his meal. Beef curry instead of chicken curry. He could live with it.

"That was your fault!" Shuichi said, pointing an accusing finger at the blond. How could ANY man be expected to think clearly, let alone _speak_ clearly, when his impatient lover was planting kisses and love bites all over his shoulder and neck while his _hands _were doing unspeakably naughty (and highly arousing) things to his body?

"I didn't hear you complaining."

Shuichi blushed. "Well _still!_"

"Face it. You can't say no. No matter what's going on or where we are you can _never _say no. You're a manwhore!"

"Shut up!" Shuichi laughed, throwing his napkin at the writer. "You're the one with the 24-hour sex drive!"

"You couldn't even wait until AFTER our date to get laid!" Eiri continued, enjoying every moment of his favorite game 'Tease the Brat'. "Even _easy _people at least make their dates buy them a good meal first."

"_I _couldn't wait? That's rich coming the man who couldn't even let me finish ordering dinner!"

Eiri just smirked. The boy was just TOO adorable wearing his shirt. It was far too big for him and the sleeves were no doubt going to be covered in food before the meal was over, but who really gave a damn? The sight made the author want to drag him off to bed all over again.

"Shut up or I won't let you finish _eating _dinner either."

Shuichi's request for an at-home date had turned out to be a good idea. No Tatsuha, no random lunatics and NO stalking books. Just him and his Shu-chan; just the way he liked it. For once it looked they were going to have a trouble-free evening. Everything was absolutely perfect.

. . .

Three hours later Shuichi sat curled up in a ball at the end of the couch, sniffling like a little girl.

"I can't believe you're still crying over that damn zombie movie."

"Well it was scary!"

"It's just a movie, stupid. Be a man."

"Wouldn't it be terrible if the zombies took over Japan?" Shuichi asked. "People would have to hide in their houses and never come out again!"

"Until they starved to death when they ran out of food."

"See, it would be terrible! Unless you lived in a grocery store..."

Eiri rolled his eyes, sorry he'd ever agreed to let Shuichi rent "Dawn of the Dead". He'd probably be hearing about this for the rest of the evening, and the idiot probably wouldn't be able to sleep tonight. _Which means I won't be getting any sleep, either. _So much for a perfect evening.

He sighed, blocking out his lover's rambling. He needed a beer... or some sleep. Maybe both.

"...when he got bit by the zombies..."

Eiri yawned tiredly. Maybe he could write a novel about zombies... or vampires...

"...and ended up turning into one..."

Shuichi's voice droned on but the author's brain wasn't picking up the actual words. He'd never written a novel about anything undead before, and occult literature was always popular...

"...and that guy's head got blown off? Yuki? Yuki!"

Maybe he could write about vampire lovers tragically torn apart when one of them got staked in the end. He snickered.

"Yuki!"

"Huh? What?"

"Are you listening to me?"

"No."

He expected whining, but instead he wound up with his arms full of Shuichi.

"It's okay," the singer whispered, snuggling against his chest. "You don't _always_ have to listen to me, just... always _love _me, okay?"

"I make no promises."

Shuichi poked him in the ribs and the blond flicked his forehead in return, causing him to giggle. Eiri grabbed the blanket folded at the end of the couch and wrapped them both up in it.

"Well, I still love _you_," Shuichi told him, burying his face in his lover's shoulder.

"Go to sleep."

"What about our new mattress?"

"Maybe later. I don't want to move right now."

"Lazy," Shuichi teased, even though he didn't want to move either. Yuki was just so... comfy.

"Brat."

Shuichi just laughed and wrapped his arms around him tighter. "G' night."

"Don't let the zombies bite."

The singer's eyes snapped open and he whimpered, clutching Eiri tightly.

Eiri cursed himself inwardly. It was probably going to be a long night; but as the blond slowly stroked the singer back into a state of calm he realized he would still rather be right where he was than anywhere else in the world. He smiled faintly.

_Guess it's love._

._  
_  
_End chapter seventeen_


	18. Chapter 18 Nightmares and Fantasies

**Fleeting Inspiration**  
by Anna Sartin

. . .

**Chapter 18:** Nightmares and Fantasies

.

Eiri's prediction turned out to be quite accurate. It was a _very _long night. The couple finally made it to bed around two in the morning, after Shuichi woke up screaming that a zombie was biting his leg. The "zombie" turned out to be the TV remote underneath him digging into his thigh. A few hours later Eiri woke up again to Shuichi making strange gasping noises in his sleep. The terrified author shook the singer into consciousness, nearly having a panic attack as memories from the incident with the hotel swimming pool ransacked his mind.

"Sorry," a groggy Shuichi apologized afterward, rubbing his eyes. "I dreamed that zombies dragged me underwater and I couldn't breathe."

Eiri cursed, swearing to never let Shuichi rent anything that clearly stated "Extended Version! Too scary for theaters!" on the cover ever again (although he suspected that the incident with the pool had as much to do with causing his lover's dream as the movie). Pissed off at himself, Shuichi and the world for robbing him of his precious slumber and making him remember a terrifying moment in his life that he desperately wanted to forget, he harshly ordered the younger man to go back to sleep. Still, he pulled the idiot- _his _idiot- close and wrapped his arms around him, letting Shuichi nestle into his chest.

"I'm sorry, Yuki," the boy whispered.

"Go back to sleep."

. . .

The next morning Eiri awoke from a nightmare of his own.

A crowd of rabid fans, led by that religious lunatic on 4th Street, chased him around random bodies of water with copies of _Four Gay Elves_. Even in his _dreams_ the book was stalking him! He slipped on the frozen surface of a lake only to find himself face-to-face with Shuichi, who was trapped under the ice. A few people were skating around him (with books strapped to their feet instead of ice skates) but no one made any move help as he frantically tried to break the ice and free the man he loved. Try as he might, no amount beating or stomping would crack the frozen surface and Eiri could only watch helplessly as his drowning lover struggled in vain to claw his way through it. _Don't die... Oh shit, don't die!_

When he opened his eyes and saw that Shuichi was not in bed, he nearly had a heart attack.

"SHUICHI!"

"Yuki? Yuki, what is it!" Shuichi asked, running into the room. "Are you okay?"

The blond certainly didn't _look _okay. Tears were streaming down his golden eyes and he was shivering like a naked man exposed to below-zero temperature. Shuichi immediately enveloped him in a hug, and at that moment Eiri couldn't even think of pushing him away. He rested his head against the smaller man's chest trembling uncontrollably as Shuichi rubbed his back soothingly.

"Did you have a bad dream?" Shuichi asked, but he couldn't tell if his lover had heard him. "Yuki?" he whispered, then after a spell, "Eiri?"

The blond breathed in the boy's scent, which he found had an instant calming effect on him. _Here... Safe... Alive... _He took a few more deep breaths before attempting to speak.

"Sorry, " he said finally. "I'm... fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Mmm. Now let go, you're smothering me."

Shuichi released his hold on his lover and kissed him, then used his fingers to wipe the tears from his eyes. "You want to talk about it?"

Eiri shook his head. There was no way he wanted his partner to know he'd panicked and nearly had a breakdown over a stupid dream. It was bad enough his brother already thought he was losing his mind over that stupid book. Thank Buddha it was gone!

"Did you have anymore nightmares?" the blond asked, hoping to change the subject before Shuichi managed to get him to talk.

"Yes! It was horrible!" Shuichi exclaimed. "Sakuma-san and I were in a cage with a bunch of girls- I think one was a vampire- and we couldn't get out because this huge monster with tentacles and lots of penises was trying to rape us!"

Eiri stared at his partner, rather disturbed by the image. _And I thought MY dreams were messed up... _"Where the hell does your brain come UP with this shit?" he asked out loud, wondering if Shuichi had been exposed to some seriously disturbing hardcore tentacle porn as a child.

"I dunno..."

"Well, get up and stop thinking about it. I've got to try to start writing again today and I don't want THAT image rolling around in my head."

"Are you sure you're okay?" Shuichi asked.

"I'm fine," Eiri answered, "Think you can make us some breakfast without burning the place to the ground?"

"Yes!" Shuichi replied indignantly, crossing his arms. "But Tatsuha's already making breakfast, so I'll have to show you tomorrow. Just you wait and see! It'll be the best food you ever tasted!" With that he kissed Eiri on the cheek, bit his ear, and flew out of the room before Eiri could catch him.

"Brat," the author grumbled, holding his offended ear with one hand and reaching over for his cigarettes and lighter with the other. "That idiot needs some serious help," he remarked to no one in particular as he lit up. _Although I guess that's a case of the pot calling the kettle black._

. . .

After a long smoke followed by a hot shower, Eiri padded down the hall towards the kitchen. He would have preferred to avoid both his brother and his boyfriend that morning (he was still feeling shaky and he didn't want either of them to notice and call him up on it) but his body wanted food and he knew his chances of curing his writer's block were slim to nil on an empty stomach.

"Well, I don't know..." Shuichi's voice could be heard from the kitchen.

"Oh, come on," Tatsuha prodded encouragingly.

"Well, what about _you_?" Shuichi asked, blushing.

Eiri stood in the doorway, wondering what had the brat so embarrassed. Tatsuha was holding his namesake, Shuichi's "old" favorite pillow in his hands.

"Making porn with Ryuichi," Tatsuha whispered, causing Shuichi to cough up the juice he'd been sipping.

"You're kidding?" the singer asked.

"Hey, you asked! Now it's you're turn!"

Eiri raised and eyebrow as he watched this exchange from the doorway. Apparently he'd walked in on a very... _interesting _conversation.

"Well, I don't know..." Shuichi said again, doubtfully.

"Oh, come on!" Tatsuha prodded again. "You've got to have some sexual fantasy or wish you want my brother to fulfill."

Shuichi turned even redder and mumbled something that Eiri didn't hear.

"A mirror?" Tatsuha asked, confused. "For what?"

"I wish we had a really big mirror on the ceiling of our bedroom," Shuichi said quietly. "And maybe one on the wall next to the bed so I could watch while Yuki and I... you know..." The thought of getting to watch from multiple angles as his lover pleasured him was a huge turn on.

Eiri finally entered the kitchen, chuckling slightly. Realizing that he'd been overheard Shuichi squeaked from surprise and embarrassment and literally crawled under the table to hide. Eiri grinned and took his now-empty seat.

"What about you, Aniki?" Tatsuha asked his brother.

"Doing it on Tohma Seguchi's desk."

"Huh?" Shuichi asked from under the table, before popping out from underneath it. "You want to have sex in Seguchi's office?" he asked, disbelieving.

"On his desk," Eiri nodded, taking the cup of coffee his brother offered him.

"But WHY?" Shuichi asked, jealousy rearing its ugly head. _Does he secretly want to... with Seguchi?_

"Because he's always telling me how to run my life," Eiri replied. "I figure banging you THERE might put him in his place."

Although he was fond of his brother-in-law, the writer was tired of hearing the other blond's opinion of his relationship with the pink-haired singer. He'd interfered in their relationship on more than one occasion, and Eiri was loath to let it happen again. Rather or not the boy was "good" for him was for him to decide, not Tohma Seguchi.

"I've always wanted to do Judy on national TV myself," K commented from the doorway.

"How did YOU get in here?" Eiri asked, although truth be told he was now used to random people barging into his home without knocking. It still annoyed the crap out of him, though.

"I'm here to pick up my young star for work!" he announced, ignoring Eiri's question. "He's late."

"I have to work TODAY?" Shuichi asked, appalled. He'd wanted to enjoy the weekend before returning to work, goodness knows the majority of his vacation had been _anything _but restful.

"Correct!" K said in English, before switching back to Japanese. "You've had five days off, and you'd better have gotten at least one song finished while you were gone!"

"I happen to have gotten TWO songs done!" the singer said proudly, holding up two fingers. "And a half!" He looked at his hands, wondering how he could illustration the "half" with his fingers. He didn't have half a finger to hold up.

"I'll give your birthday present to Sakuma-san!" Tatsuha said cheerfully, holding up "Pillow-Tatsuha".

"But I wanna go to the party too!" Shuichi whined.

"Let's go," K ordered, holding his gun to Shuichi's temple.

"Wait," Eiri said in English, glaring at K warningly. He switched back to his native language. "He is under doctor's orders to rest for a week..."

"Yuki!" Shuichi cried happily, overwhelmed with feelings of love and adoration. _Yuki's rescuing me!_

"...so see to it that he isn't overworked and doesn't do anything to strain himself," the author finished, bursting Shuichi's bubble.

"Will do," K saluted, dragging Shuichi off to get dressed.

"Yukiiiiiii!" he wailed despairingly. "You're supposed to be worried about me and not want me to leave your side!"

"I've got work to do, brat, and I don't need your noise... or _yours_," the blond added, turning to his brother.

"In America people don't work on Saturday," the singer grumbled as he was dragged away, as if K knew nothing about his own country.

"Ah, but that's not true!" K said cheerfully, gun held high. "Plenty of people work on Saturday. Just nobody important!"

Eiri went back to his coffee, ignoring his boyfriend's groans of protest. "So how much longer are YOU going to be here?" he asked his brother.

"Mika's supposed to take me home this afternoon," the younger Uesugi replied. "But I'll be gone most of the day. I'm going to Ryuichi-sama's birthday party!" He bounced in his seat excitedly like a little boy.

"Good. Maybe I'll be able get some work done with all you morons out of my hair."

As he heard Shuichi's whining in the background he briefly glanced upwards, wondering how hard it would be to put a mirror on the bedroom ceiling.

.

End chapter eighteen


	19. Chapter 19 Read All About It

**Fleeting Inspiration**  
by Anna Sartin

**Chapter Nineteen:** Read All About It

.

After breakfast Tatsuha practically danced out of the apartment with his gifts, leaving Eiri alone to enjoy the morning paper. At least that had been the writer's initial plan. Today, however, this part of his morning routine proved to be anything but enjoyable. He found his picture on the front page of the entertainment section.

**POPULAR NOVALIST EIRI YUKI JAILED - TWICE!**

Eiri quickly retrieved the cigarette that had fallen out of his mouth, before reading the article...

_Popular romance author Eiri Yuki appears to be pursuing a new career as a jailbird. During the past week Yuki-sensei has been arrested twice, and could be facing more jail time in the future. The first incident occurred on March 25, when he was taken into police custody for harassing his fellow author Mamoru Eto at his Tokyo home. Yuki-sensei was released on bail the same day. On March 29 he was arrested again, this time for shoplifting in a music store in Osaka. This occurred only moments after being forcefully removed from a bookstore across the street, where he again tried to harass Eto-sensei during a book signing. Also arrested was the author's live-in lover Shuichi Shindo, lead singer of the music group Bad Luck. (see page E2) _

_Osaka police say that Yuki-sensei's mental state at the time of his arrest was "questionable" and describe the author's time in their custody as "loud and unpleasant". Sources say Yuki-sensei repeatedly demanded that he be given drugs, and was admonished for indecent behavior in his cell with Shindo-san. No drugs or alcohol was found in his system. He was released on bail later that evening, and will appear in court on April 22._

Eiri blinked. He had to go to court? He hadn't known that. How had the media found out his court date before he did? In fact, how had the media found _any_ of this out? He read the whole thing over again, growling at the bits about "shoplifting", "demanding drugs" and his "questionable" mental state. He then turned to page E2, where a separate article had been written on Shuichi. It was accompanied by a black and white picture of the singer fighting with that teenager over the _GRUDE_ CD in Music World. From the store security camera, no doubt.

_Shuichi Shindo, lead singer for the popular J-Pop band Bad Luck was taken into police custody on March 29 for assaulting a minor in a music store. Witnesses say that the conflict began when Shindo-san approached an underage customer and attempted to grab a CD out of her hands. Also taken into custody was his lover, novelist Eiri Yuki on separate charges of shoplifting and resisting arrest. Police have not said rather or not they believe this incident was set up to be a distraction to divert security so that Yuki-sensei could escape with the stolen merchandise._

Thoroughly disgusted, Eiri turned the page, not bothering to finish the article. He hated the media. If they were going to report private information to the public about people's personal lives it ought to at least be _accurate_.

_There ought to be a law_, Eiri thought, as he flipped to the international section. The first article was about a judge arrested for masturbating in court. Eiri raised an eyebrow. _Another_ one? He'd read about a similar case a few months ago about a judge in Europe. This one was American, and had been caught using a penis pump. What was WRONG with people? The next article was less obscene, but somehow more disturbing.

**MAN SHOOTS SHOOTS WIFE, MISTAKING HER FOR A MONKEY**

_A Malaysian man shot and killed his wife after he mistook her for a monkey picking fruit in a tree behind their house. The man, 70, is being held by police for causing death through recklessness after he fired a shotgun at what he thought was a monkey in a mangosteen tree. His wife, 68, had used a ladder to climb into the tree and was picking the tropical fruit when she was shot. She was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital. The couple lived in central Malaysia and had raised 13 children. _

_He must've either been blind or had a really ugly wife_, Eiri thought, wondering if there were any limits to human stupidity. He turned the page, wondering just how you explained to your 13 children that you shot their mother out of a tree because you thought she was a monkey. People did a lot of stupid things, but it was going to take a lot in his book to top THAT one.

**DRUNKEN MAN COOKS OWN GENITALS**

Eiri turned green and quickly closed the newspaper.

_Looks like we have a new winner. _

He folded up the newspaper and discarded it in the trash, before heading to his study to work. He'd been planning to go out and buy beer before getting started, but somehow his favorite drink had lost its appeal.

. . .

It's a curious thing how quickly news travels. Bad news tends to travel faster than information of an ordinary sort and things that people want to keep to themselves is often the talk of the town before they know it. It is also a curious truth that when someone is having a string of bad luck, the pattern of misfortune will usually go on for quite a while before their luck starts to change. With these things in mind, it really shouldn't have surprised Eiri when his sister marched into his study that afternoon with a newspaper in one hand and a flat brown package in the other.

"How was your vacation, Eiri?" she asked coldly.

"Fine," he responded emotionlessly, not noticing her tone of voice or the furious expression on her face. In fact, he didn't look at her at all. He'd just gotten a new idea for a story- he'd been trying to think of something all day and only had a short list of mediocre possibilities to show for it- and was hoping that if he ignored his older sibling she would go away.

"Really? Then what is THIS?" Mika demanded, shoving the newspaper in his face.

His photograph stared back at him.

"None of your business," he answered, trying to keep his voice neutral so his sister wouldn't know that she'd caught him off guard. He had no idea where begin with explaining the events of the past week, and he didn't want to get into it at the moment anyway. He pushed the paper away and continued typing.

"Do you know what Father's going to say when he sees this! Do you know what TOHMA is going to say?"

_Shit._ If Mika already knew about this then it wouldn't be long before her husband did, too. Seguchi would be at his door in no time trying to "make it all better". Eiri cringed.

"How could you embarrass our family like this!" Mika yelled, slamming the paper and the package she was holding on Eiri's desk. "And where is Shindo-san? I'm going to give him a piece of my mind!"

"Shuichi isn't here, and I'm too busy for one of your lectures today so why don't you find something useful to do?"

"Eiri Uesugi!"

Eiri finally turned to look at her. "Aren't you supposed to be taking Tatsuha home? Why don't you go scold HIM for wrecking his motorcycle? I've got work to do."

"I brought him with me. He's taking his bags to the car now. Why in the world would you be shoplifting? You can afford anything you want! And harassing-"

"I was NOT shoplifting!" Eiri yelled, cutting her off. He was so damn tired of hearing that word he could kill someone.

"This is Shindo's fault, isn't it?" she asked in an accusing tone. "He did something stupid and got you caught in the middle of it! Did he steal something and get you involved, Eiri? Are you covering for him?"

It amazed him how his sister could be right and yet so very, very wrong at the same time. "No! Neither of us stole anything! Now get out of here and let me work!"

"Are you taking your medication?"

_Oh great, now she's going to start mothering me..._

"Eiri, are you listening to me?" Mika asked, when he didn't answer.

_I sure as hell wish I wasn't..._

"Eiri!"

"WHAT?"

"Have you stopped taking your medication?"

"No."

"Then what the hell is wrong with you?"

"This is my problem, not yours."

"Obviously I haven't been checking up on you enough and I'm sorry for that," Mika replied, sounding genuinely apologetic. "I foolishly gave Shindo more credit than I should have and thought he was competent enough to look after you."

"I don't need anyone to look after me!" Eiri said sharply, glaring at his sibling.

"If that were true, you wouldn't be getting yourself arrested."

Eiri groaned inwardly, knowing he was going to be seeing a lot of his sister and brother-in-law in the future. And he'd just gotten used to not having to deal with one or both of them nagging, worrying and prying into his life on a daily basis. Life just wasn't fair.

"There's a drunken man pissing on one of your tires," Tatsuha told his sister from the doorway.

Despite her pregnant condition, Mika to flew out of the room faster than Eiri had ever seen her move in his life.

"You owe me," Tatsuha informed his brother. "She's gonna kill me when she gets down there and realizes that I lied to her."

"I'll owe you if you keep her from coming BACK."

"Deal. See you later, Bro. Thanks for letting me stay here."

"Whatever," Eiri waved, before shoving Mika's newspaper in a desk drawer, out of his sight. He was about to do the same to the package she's left on his desk, until he realized that the note attached to it was addressed to him. It was from Tohma.

_Eiri-san,  
I thought you might enjoy this, it's by that author you're so fond of. Ryuichi gave  
it to me this morning saying it was some kind of religious text. I think he was  
confused. Either way I have no use for it, so please enjoy it with my love. _

_Your loving Oni-san,  
Tohma Seguchi_

Eiri stared at the package, suddenly feeling sick to his stomach.

_Oh no..._

His hands trembled as he removed the brown wrapping, feeling as though his brother-in-law had sent him a letter bomb rather than a well-intended gift. He prayed to Buddha it wasn't what he knew it was. What else COULD it be? He laughed insanely as the cover of _Four Gay Elves_ met his sight, mocking him with its reappearance. Then, as even the mightiest of men are apt to do when in the midst of a mental breakdown, he burst into tears.

.

_End chapter nineteen_


	20. Chapter 20 More Troubles

**Fleeting Inspiration**  
by Anna Sartin

. . .

**Chapter Twenty:** More Troubles

.

Eiri had no idea where he was going.

He'd left the book in his study and fled, not bothering to shut down his computer, turn out the lights, or even lock the front door. He bypassed his sister and brother arguing in the parking lot, ignoring Mika when she asked where in the world he was going. Fuck her. Fuck _everyone_. He needed to get away, far away, before he was driven completely and utterly out of his mind.

His first thought had been to drive to the airport and flee the country. He could just board whatever plane had an available seat and not look back. This idea was quickly dismissed when he realized he had left his wallet at home, and he was driving in the entirely wrong direction anyway.

His next thought was to find the nearest bar and drink until he passed out, and hope that when he woke up he'd find that the whole series of chaotic events that had taken place over the past seven days had been nothing but a horrible dream. This plan was never carried out either, as he found himself driving past one bar after another as he headed into the heart of downtown Tokyo. He had no idea where he was going, but he continued on his present course as if driven by pure instinct.

_It's stalking me. Nobody believes me, but I KNOW that damn thing is out to get me! Maybe it's a conspiracy... Eto, Seguchi, the town of Osaka... they're ALL in on it! Mika and Tatsuha too... Everyone is trying to drive me crazy!_

How long he spent lost in these thoughts, wading through the dark recesses of his paranoid mind he didn't know; but when he snapped out of it he realized he was parking his Mercedes in front of the N-G building. He blinked, confused.

_Why am I here?_

He looked at his watch. It was still too early for Shuichi to get off work but he supposed it wouldn't kill him to wait around for a while. It would be worth it to see the look on Shuichi's face when the singer saw that his boyfriend had come to pick him up. Eiri felt somewhat guilty when he realized that he could count on one hand the times he'd come to pick Shuichi up during the course of their relationship. One time the boy had come home soaking wet, having trudged home from N-G in a freezing, slushy mixture of rain and snow that had him sneezing and coughing for over a week. At the time the writer had silently vowed to be more considerate in the future, but somehow that pledge had been forgotten by the time Shuichi was well again and Eiri had gone back to being the same self-absorbed prick he usually was.

_I wonder which floor he's on ?_

It turned out he didn't need to bother finding out which floor Buck Luck worked on. When he entered the building he found his boyfriend in the lobby, laying on a couch with his head in Hiroshi Nakano's lap. A wave of jealously hit him so hard and fast it burned through his veins like fire, and he marched over to them prepared to demand an explanation. Had he been in his right mind the writer would never done such a thing, but _Four Gay Elves_had been slowly chipping away at his sanity to point that it was now debatable how much of it was left. For all he knew the long-haired guitarist was probably in on the conspiracy, too! The rage in him was quickly extinguished, however, when he realized that Shuichi was crying.

"What's wrong with you?" he asked, suddenly feeling very foolish for allowing his imagination to run away with him.

Shuichi opened his eyes and looked up, amazed. "Yuki?"

"Why are you crying, brat?" he asked, trying to sound annoyed to hide his concern.

Before he knew it, Eiri's arms were full of Shuichi, sobbing incoherently into his shirt. The only words Eiri could make out were "hate" and "bitch". Hiro gave the author a small wave and quickly made himself scarce, grateful for the opportunity to escape. His lap was getting soggy.

"What do you hate?" Eiri asked, forcing the pink-haired singer's face away from his chest so he could understand him.

"I hate her! She's a bitch!"

"Who?"

"Lola Eto!"

Just hearing that name made Eiri cringe. "_She's_here?"

"Yes! In Bad Luck's rehearsal room!"

"The rehearsal rooms belong to N-G," a female voice informed the singer. "Not Bad Luck. They're for everyone who works here to use. Our manager said so!"

Eiri turned around, wanting to see who was brave enough (not to mention rude enough) to interrupt their conversation. "And you are?" he asked, but he already knew. He recognized her from the cover of _GRUDGE_. It was the little bitch who'd butchered _Shining Collection_.

"I'm the lead singer from Whispering Phantom and-" the teenager stopped mid-sentence, suddenly realizing who she was standing in front of. "Oh my god, it's YOU! You're Eiri Yuki!"

"No shit," he snapped, glaring at her. "Who the hell do you think you are interrupting a private conversation?"

"Please, can I have your autograph?" she asked, paying no attention to his annoyance. "I'm such a big fan of your writing and-"

"No! Get get the hell away from me! And tell your grandfather's book to stop stalking me!"

"Huh?" she asked, staring at him in confusion. "Book?"

"Get the hell out of here!"

"Fine!" Lola shouted, stamping her foot. "I used to think you were a wonderful author. Now I see all that you are is a jerk!"

Shuichi wiped his tears as the girl took off in a huff. "I wish _I'd _have been able to get rid of her so easily," he said. "This whole day's been a nightmare."

_You're telling me. _"She's been harassing you that long?" Eiri asked.

"No, but we had to move to a different rehearsal room because Whispering Phantom was already using ours," Shuichi said as they left the building. "But I've been having trouble breathing and I couldn't get though a whole song without getting winded, and K got mad and shot out the window of the recording booth, so-"

"I TOLD him not to overwork you."

"He didn't... after the first hour or so, anyway. He said I could work on finishing the lyrics to my last song while Hiro and Fujisaki rehearsed, but we had to move back to our usual rehearsal room and that girl threw a fit when we got there. She kept screaming in my face and I was starting to get dizzy so K fired a few rounds and told us all to go home."

"You've been having trouble breathing AND you've been getting dizzy?" Eiri asked, not even bothering to hide his concern this time. He was now glad he'd felt a subconscious need to come here. He didn't want Shuichi walking all the way home.

"Yeah, I don't know what's wrong with me..."

Eiri studied his lover's face carefully, looking for signs of illness or fatigue. Suddenly all of his earlier problems seemed so... insignificant. "Weren't you supposed to have a follow-up at that hospital in Osaka?" he asked.

"They said I could see my own doctor when I got home."

"I want you to make an appointment."

Shuichi nodded silently and got into the car.

"Are you sure you're alright?" the blond asked. He'd expected to be tackled as Shuichi blasted his eardrums with his overjoyed cries of "Awww! Yuki's worried about me!"

"I just want to go home now, okay? I'm really tired."

"Fine," he responded, pushing his reading glasses up on the bridge of his nose. He's just noticed that he was wearing them. He generally only wore them while reading or working on the computer, but in his hurry to flee the apartment he'd forgotten to take them off. _At least he didn't ask how MY day was..._

"Hey Yuki?" Shuichi asked.

"What?"

"Why are you wearing your reading glasses?"

. . .

Tohma Seguchi's blood boiled as he stepped out of elevator in his brother-in-law's apartment building, clutching the newspaper he was carrying in a death grip. This was all Shindo's fault! He had no idea how or why, but he just _knew _that Eiri's reckless pink-haired lover had to be the cause of this scandal. He'd been against the relationship from the beginning and had tried to put an end to it more than once. As far as Tohma was concerned Shuichi Shindo was a walking disaster, and the sooner he was out of his brother-in-law's life the better.

_Today I'm going to get though to Eiri once and for all!_ He tucked the newspaper under his arm and pulled out his key, violently jamming it into the door knob. He'd made a copy of Mika's key long ago, although Eiri didn't know that. He enjoyed sneaking up on the younger man and leaving him to wonder how the hell he'd gotten in. _I'll make him see reason and-_

He froze mid-thought as he entered the apartment. Eiri was sitting on the sofa with Shindo's head in his lap, combing through the boy's hair with his fingers. Shuichi looked for all the world like a man resting in the lap of his devoted wife. This sight only seemed to infuriate the Grasper more.

"Get away from Eiri!" Tohma shouted.

"Shut up!" Eiri hissed dangerously. "If you wake him up I'll kill you!"

THAT took Tohma by surprise. He lowered his voice, deciding he needed to change his tactic to accommodate the writer's short temper. "We need to talk."

"I don't need to hear it."

"I think you do!" the older man told him, raising his voice again.

"So help me, Seguchi, if you wake him up..."

"If he's that much of a nuisance then why do you continue to let him live here?"

"Because I want him here."

"He's hurting your image, Eiri! LOOK at this!" He shoved the paper in the author's face, just as his wife had done a few hours ago. "Shoplifting? DRUGS? What's he doing to you?"

"Don't believe everything you read," Eiri responded, annoyed to find himself face-to-face with that same damned photo in the newspaper for the third time in one day.

"Eiri, if you're addicted I can help you. Just let m-"

"I'm NOT on drugs, Tohma!" _Although when I'm around you I wonder if I should be..._

"Then why were you asking the police for them?"

"I asked for my medication. Somebody decided to twist the story to make me look bad."

"Eiri, you have _got _to get rid of Shindo-san. His presence in your life is causing you nothing but trouble. All this stress isn't good for you. What if-"

"YOUR presence is causing me stress right now, Seguchi, not his. Now if you've got nothing else to say then get out."

The singer let out a small moan in his sleep and for the first time Tohma observed how pale he was, which altered his original image of the couple from when he'd first barged in. The pink-haired vocalist looked like a sick child in his father's lap. "He doesn't look well..."

"I said get OUT!"

The shouting awakened Shuichi, who opened his eyes tiredly. "Yuki?"

"Eiri, what's going on?" Tohma asked. "Let me help you!"

"If I need your help I'll ask for it. I'm perfectly capable of managing my own life!"

Tohma sighed and let himself out, deciding he needed to collect more information before approaching his brother-in-law again. He was certainly not going to get anything out of Eiri when he was in one of his moods, so he would have to find out what he needed to know from other sources. _Looks like I'll be making a trip to Osaka..._

Inside the apartment, Shuichi had climbed into his boyfriend's lap and was resting his head on the blond's shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"Hm. You?"

"I'm a little scared... What if the doctor tells me I can't sing anymore?"

"I don't know... but..." He struggled to find comforting words. He just wasn't good at consoling people. "Whatever happens, I'm here for you." There. That wasn't so hard.

Shuichi snuggled closer. "No matter what?"

Eiri considered the question for a moment, before answering, "Yeah... No matter what. Come Tohma Seguchi, the forces of darkness, Armageddon or _Four Gay Elves_."

Shuichi laughed softly, imagining Tohma leading the forces of darkness in Armageddon, armed with copies of _Four Gay Elves_. "Hey, Yuki?"

"What?"

"I love you."

_._

_End chapter twenty_


	21. Chapter 21 Sunday Morning

**Fleeting Inspiration**  
by Anna Sartin

. . .

**Chapter Twenty-One:** Sunday Morning

.

The next day Tohma was back, armed with new information and his wife at his side.

Eiri glared at them as he sat at the kitchen table smoking a cigarette. Why did he have to deal with these two at the crack of dawn on a Sunday morning? Shuichi wasn't even out of bed yet and he'd been planning to head back there himself. He felt both physically and mentally exhausted, and his stomach was killing him. _God damn ulcer... _He'd just wanted some nicotine to calm his nerves before going back to sleep.

"Can't I have any peace?" he asked, as Tohma made himself two cups of coffee and sat down uninvited. Mika continued to stand. "Why can't you just leave me the hell alone?"

"Because we're worried about you, Eiri," his sister told him. "This scandal could hurt your reputation; and besides, all this stress isn't good for you. What if you get sick again?"

"Why don't you both get a life outside of _me?_" the writer asked, wishing he'd never given Mika a key to his apartment. Hell, he wished he'd never given _eithe_r of them his address at all. "I'm not a child anymore."

"I persuaded the owner of Music World to drop the charges against you," Tohma said, taking a sip of his coffee and offering the other cup to his wife. "as long and you and Shindo-san agree not to step foot in his store ever again. I also talked to Sakaguchi-san's parents, who have also agreed to drop the charges against Shindo-san."

"After you paid them off," Mika said dryly.

"Who the hell is Sakaguchi?" Eiri asked.

"The girl your boy-toy got into a fight with!" Mika answered. "You should thank Tohma for all the trouble he's gone through for you!"

"I never asked either of you to interfere in my life."

"Damn it, Eiri!"

"Now, now," Tohma waved his hand in a pacifying motion, wanting avoid a fight between the siblings. "We're here because we want to help you, Eiri. It's obviously you've been having a lot of... problems.. lately. I talked to several officers in the Osaka police department, including the one who arrested you. He said you were irate and impossible to reason with."

"He called me a shoplifter!"

"Another officer says that you were ranting like a madman after your booked and banging your head against the bars like a lunatic," Tohma went on, "I also talked an Officer Kurata, who told me all about the little tryst between you and Shindo-san later on. He says the whole station heard you, and when they asked you to separate Shindo-san wouldn't return to his own bed."

"And why the hell should he?" Eiri asked, "I wanted him with me." He took a long drag on his cigarette and exhaled, blowing the smoke in his brother-in-law's face. He was feeling rather obnoxious at the moment and had concocted a plan to get rid of his uninvited guests. "At the snail's pace it took my lawyer to get there I was afraid we'd be there all night, and Shuichi just can't settle down without me or "Tatsuha" to sleep with."

"You and _Tatsuha?_" Tohma asked. "He sleeps with both of you?"

"Yes, usually at the same time," Eiri said, suppressing a grin. "But we've changed that since that idiot Sakuma started complaining about it. I had to pay for a replacement before we got back from Osaka."

He loved ruffling the feathers of his usually calm and collected brother-in-law. Messing with his sister's head would be an added bonus. Serves them right. What right did these two have to go all the way to Osaka just to put their noses in his business? By the expression on his face, Tohma was imagining all sorts of nasty things and Mika looked like she was going to be sick. Eiri was enjoying himself immensity, but he had to make a concerted effort to keep a straight face. He didn't get to mess with their heads often, so he wanted to take full advantage of the opportunity.

"Shuichi wasn't too sure about getting a replacement at first," he continued, "but in the end I think he was satisfied with the results."

"You can't be _serious!_" Mika exclaimed.

"What?" Eiri asked, feigning innocence.

It was at this time that Shuichi came in, rubbing his eyes.

"You've corrupted my brothers!" Mika shouted at him, before storming out. Tohma followed her, trying to pacify her. "Mika-san... Honey... wait..."

Shuichi just looked at his lover, completely confused. He was still not fully awake yet.

"Did I forget to mention that "Tatsuha" was a pillow?" Eiri asked, snickering. "I guess I did."

"What was THAT all about?" the singer asked.

"Who cares?" Eiri asked, putting out his cigarette. He was going back to bed.

"Are you okay?" the pink-haired man asked, studying his lover's face carefully. "You look like you're in pain."

"I feel like shit."

"Your ulcer?" Shuichi asked.

"How the hell did you know that?" Eiri demanded. Shuichi's uncanny ability to read the older man had always amazed him, but the boy's gift of perception was only growing more astute the longer they were together. It was starting to creep him out.

"You've got your hand on your stomach."

Oh. Made sense.

"I think everything that's been happening lately is starting to wear us both down," Eiri said as they walked into the living room. "My nerves are shot and you're white as a sheet."

"Am I?" Shuichi asked, putting his hands on his face.

"Well, you are paler than usual," Eiri replied. "Let's barricade the door and stay in today. I don't want to deal with any more drama."

"Sounds good to me."

"Hm. Come help me move the couch."

"Move the couch?" Shuichi asked. "Why?"

"To block the front door."

"You SERIOUS?"

"Yes," Eiri answered. "I don't want anyone else walking in unannounced."

"But it's so big..."

"It comes apart in three sections. We only need to move one section over to block the door. Just let me get something first..."

He disappeared into his study for a moment and came back with _Four Gay Elves _in hand. He then flung the book out the front door. "There. Now let's barricade the door!"

. . .

After Eiri had gone back to bed, Shuichi decided to make good on his promise yesterday to show Yuki that he could make a good breakfast. In the process he managed to break three dishes, cut himself twice, and accidentally set the stove on fire. In end, however, the food he made turned out to be halfway decent and he prepared to go wake the love of his life.

_Wait a second... if I bring Yuki in here he'll see that I messed the kitchen and he won't even TRY the food. Plus I'll get yelled at... I'd better take the food to him._

"Breakfast!" the singer piped cheerfully a few minutes later, carrying a tray of food into the bedroom.

"Is it edible?" the blond asked warily.

"Of course it is! I said it would be the best food you ever tasted, remember?"

"How much of my kitchen did you destroy?" he asked, noticing the cuts on his partner's fingers.

Shuichi just laughed nervously.

"Thought so."

"I'm sorry, Yuki! I promise I'll clean it up so-"

"Don't worry about it." Eiri was bound determined not to let anything else upset him today. As long as the apartment wasn't burning down, it wasn't worth making his stomach ache worse.

"So how is it?" Shuichi asked, after Eiri had taken a few bites.

"It's not the best food I ever tasted..."

"Awww..."

"...But it's the best thing _you've _ever cooked, so I suppose that counts for something."

Shuichi curled up against his companion and begin hand-feeding him, and to his surprise Eiri actually let him. The last time he'd tried this the writer had been in a foul mood and bitten his hand. This time, however, the blonde not only allowed himself to be fed, but encouraged it by licking and sucking the boy's fingers seductively. Their game soon led to them "christening" their mattress again, causing the Seguchis, the messy kitchen and the book outside their front door to be completely forgotten.

.

_End chapter twenty-one_


	22. The Evils of the Ringing Phone

**Fleeting Inspiration**  
by Anna Sartin

. . .

**Chapter Twenty-Two:** The Evils of the Ringing Phone

.

So close... he was so close to Nirvana he could almost weep. Eiri loved this feeling, the feeling of being so close to the edge of ecstasy that he knew nothing could keep him from the white heaven that awaited him. So close... If he could choose the manner of his death, the author decided, this would definitely be it. Buried deep within his partner, engulfed in pleasure. Shuichi panted and moaned underneath him, his face etched in what appeared to be concentration as he struggled to achieve his own release. Eiri forced himself to go faster as he assaulted younger male's prostate until a wail of completion let him know that his partner was finished. He let his own body follow suit. _Heaven... _

The phone began to ring, but neither of the two men moved to answer it. It continued to ring for some time until finally Eiri separated himself from his mate and knocked the noisy contraption off the hook. He then rolled onto his stomach and fell sound asleep. Shuichi laughed softly, before rolling over to snuggle against the blond. He sighed contently. _Heaven..._

An annoying sound interrupted his serenity a minute later, and he realized it was coming from the phone. _I don't wanna get up..._ He tried to ignore it for a few minutes, until he finally realized that he wasn't going to be able to sleep with that awful buzzing in his ear. _I never realized the sound a phone makes when it's off the hook was so horrible... _

He got up and unplugged the phone entirely, then debated rather or not to go back to bed. On one hand he loved snuggling with his partner, conscious or not. On the other hand he need to clean up the sticky mess his orgasm had produced all over his stomach and chest, and the kitchen also needed cleaning. Eiri's mood would turn sour fast if he walked in to get a cup of coffee and saw that the place was a disaster. Not wanting to ruin the day by pissing his lover off, Shuichi sighed and reached for his discarded clothes.

He tripped over something on his way to the kitchen, dropping the serving tray with Yuki's dishes on it.

_What did I trip over? Is that Yuki's wallet?_ He picked the wallet up and examined it. Opening it revealed Mika Seguchi's driver's license. _No, Mika-san's... Must have fallen out of her purse._

After picking up the mess in the living room he started on the kitchen. Cleaning the stove was first on his list but the fumes from the oven cleaner made him dizzy and the task went unfinished. He tried to mop the floor next and wound up twisting his ankle when he tripped over the bucket of water. Slowly he pulled himself into a sitting position and surveyed the damage. Water was all over the kitchen floor. He felt like he was sitting in a kiddie pool. He got up and managed to mop up about half the water when the room started spinning and he had to grab the counter to avoid hitting the floor. He managed to knock over the oven cleaner and two glasses in the process.

_What's wrong with me?_

He was just so _tired_. Plus the fumes from the oven cleaner were overpowering and his lungs were protesting the lack of fresh air. Finally he gave up went back to the bedroom, where he stripped off his wet clothes and joined his lover in bed. He would try cleaning later, hopefully his body would feel like cooperating then. He buried his face in the nape of his lover's neck and let the comforting scent of his partner lull him to sleep.

. . .

The couple slept until way after noon and both felt much better after waking up. The first thing they did was take a bath together, which resulted in another bout of lovemaking that caused most of the water in the bathtub to wind up all over the bathroom floor. The rest of the day was pure bliss in comparison to the trials and tribulations the two had suffered over the past week.

"This is how our vacation SHOULD have been," Eiri said later, as they lay together on what was left of the couch watching some stupid movie that neither of them were paying much attention to.

"I'm sorry about our vacation, Yuki," Shuichi said softly. "I really am. I never meant-"

"I know," Eiri cut him off. "It's all right, you don't have to keep apologizing. I was just saying that I wish we could have spent more time together that _didn't _involve hospitals, cops or random disasters."

"The day I got out of the hospital was nice..."

Eiri smiled faintly and pulled the pink-haired boy closer, but said nothing.

"What should we do for dinner?" Shuichi asked a few minutes later.

"I don't want to cook and I'm not leaving the house."

"I could cook."

"We just cleaned the kitchen. Let's get something delivered."

After their bath the couple had cleaned the apartment together. Eiri wound up doing most of the work since Shuichi couldn't move around properly on his injured ankle. When the singer explained that he'd hurt himself tripping over a bucket the author had laughed at him, calling the boy "an accident waiting to happen".

"What sounds good to eat?" Shuichi asked.

"I don't know."

"Beef bowls?"

"Nah."

"Curry?"

"We just had that."

"Chen's?"

"I'm sick of Chinese. Besides, wasn't Chen's Eatery on the news a few weeks ago because somebody found a human finger in their won-ton soup?"

"Oh yeah... What about pizza? We haven't had that in a while."

"Fine." Eiri wasn't overly fond of it, but at least he wasn't bored with it.

The phone rang almost immediately when Shuichi plugged it in to order their dinner. It was Tatsuha.

"Why does our sister have the impression that you and I are in some kind of incestuous relationship?" the young monk asked when Shuichi handed Eiri the phone.

"She's crazy," Eiri answered, grinning smugly. "Probably gets it from the old man."

"Uh huh," Tatsuha responded, not sounding convinced. "She drove down here without telling anyone she was coming and barged in yelling about threesomes and prostitutes. Dad is STILL yelling at her!"

"He's yelling at HER?" Eiri asked, surprised. Mika was their father's golden child, his firstborn, the Perfect Daughter. He couldn't remember a time when she had ever been scolded, let alone yelled at.

"Apparently she got two traffic tickets on her way here," Tatsuha said, "She got pulled over for speeding and couldn't find her wallet, so she was fined for both speeding AND driving without a license. Seguchi-san will probably get it straightened out but Father's been lecturing her all day. She tried telling him a bunch of crazy shit about us having group sex or something and that pissed him off even more. He thinks she's losing it!"

Eiri actually laughed. For the first time in a long time he actually wished he was back in his family home in Kyoto. He would love to have been there to see it.

"What did you tell her?" Tatsuha asked suspiciously.

"What makes you think this is MY fault?" Eiri asked, trying to sound hurt. He found this to be a hard thing to accomplish while laughing one's ass off. The blond didn't laugh often and Shuichi was giving him strange looks.

"You told her something weird!" Tatsuha accused his sibling.

"Now why would I do that?"

"Why do you do ANYTHING?" Tatsuha exclaimed. "Remember the time you told her I was licking the dog? Dad had me in therapy for MONTHS! And it wasn't even true!"

Eiri laughed harder. His brother had been twelve (or was it thirteen?) at the time. Back then Mika and Tatsuha had both been bugging the shit out him, so he'd concocted the perfect scheme to get them both out of his hair for a while by redirecting his sister's mother hen complex to her other sibling. When Tatsuha found out that his Aniki had been the cause of their father forbidding him to be left unsupervised with the family pet the boy retaliated by stealing every piece of clothing his older brother owned one night while he was bathing and dumping everything into a neighbor's yard. The towels and bath robes had also mysteriously disappeared by the time Eiri got out of the bath (he suspected Tatsuha had locked them in his room) and when he got to his room he found that even his bedclothes had been taken. In the end he'd been forced to walk across the street butt-naked holding a pillow in front of himself to retrieve his belongings.

This had been the start of a back-and-forth game of revenge between them that lasted for several months. In a strange way Eiri missed it. The memories filled him with a warm sense of nostalgia and still made him laugh to this day. His personal favorite was the time Tatsuha dumped an entire bottle of hot sauce into his food and accidentally served the plate to their father. Watching the old man run around the room yelling that his mouth was on fire had been priceless.

"What's so damn funny?" Tatsuha demanded on the other end of the line.

"Nothing," Eiri answered. His sides hurt from laughing. "You should know by now that when Mika's in Kyoto she's _your _problem. You deal with it." He hung up the phone and told Shuichi hurry and order their food, so he could disconnect it again.

. . .

Of course The Book came back.

The person delivering the pizza was a polite young man who believed that someone had accidentally dropped _Four Gay Elves_on their way in the door. Eiri's left eye twitched at the sight of it but he found that he was starting to build up a resistance to it. He wasn't surprised in the least to have it returned to him. In fact, in his secret heart he'd known it would only be a matter of time before it was in his possession again. The wretched thing seemed to be stuck on him like a fly on shit. Therefore, he managed to remain calm and not scream like a madman while Shuichi thanked the delivery man for his consideration and paid for the food.

"What should we do with it, Yuki?" Shuichi asked, shutting the door after the man had gone. He decided to keep a safe distance away from his volatile lover in case the blond snapped.

The author stared at it for a moment. "Fuck it," he said finally, throwing it over his shoulder. "Let's eat."

.

End chapter twenty-two


	23. Chapter 23 Hospital Hostility

**Fleeting Inspiration**  
by Anna Sartin

. . .

**Chapter Twenty-Three:** Hospital Hostility

.

"Are you ready to leave?" Eiri asked the next morning as he grabbed his coat and slipped on his shoes.

"My ankle hurts," Shuichi whined, rubbing against his boyfriend. "Carry me to the car, Yuki..."

"I'll throw you out the window," the blond offered coldly. "Be glad I'm taking time away from my writing to drive you to the hospital."

"Well, you _are _the one who wanted me to see a doctor."

"I'm not the idiot who keeps getting himself hurt," Eiri retorted. "Falling into pools, tripping over buckets... It's not MY fault you need medical attention."

Shuichi sighed. What happened to the loving, caring man who blamed himself for what happened a week ago? Not that the singer _wanted _Yuki to blame himself for his misfortune, but at times like this he yearned the see the more compassionate side of his lover. He fantasized having the blond sweep him off his feet and carry him to the car, while in reality he limped his way to the vehicle using his boyfriend as a support.

"Do you love me?" he asked after they were both in the car.

"You know damn well I do," Eiri said irritably. "Don't start THAT again."

"Then how come you never SAY it?"

"If you already know it then what's the point?"

"It makes me _happy_."

Eiri rolled his eyes. "Fine. I love you. Now shut up and let me drive in peace."

The singer smiled brightly. "Hai!"

. . .

It had been nearly three months since Eiri had last been to the local hospital. He used to come every Friday to see his psychiatrist, but he hadn't been to see her in months. _Maybe I should make an appointment,_ he thought sourly as he helped Shuichi to the nurse's desk. _Maybe she can help me find the sanity that Eto's piece of shit novel has sucked out of me._ He could only imagine what she'd say if he told her that a _book _had driven him to the verge of mental breakdown.

"I'll pick you up later," Eiri told his boyfriend as he turned to leave. "Just call me wh- huh?" One of Shuichi's hands had latched onto his sleeve. "What?"

"Stay. Please?"

"I have work to do, brat."

"Your ulcer's been acting up again. You should let the doctor check you out to make sure you're okay."

"I d-"

"Yuki, _please_," the younger male pleaded. "I even made an appointment for you yesterday when I scheduled mine."

The writer stared at his companion for a moment. He wanted to be annoyed with him, he _really_ did, for doing such a thing without his knowledge or consent (who did the brat think he was, his _mother?_) but somehow he just couldn't. He hated to admit the effect those violet eyes had on him, especially now when they were overflowing with love and concern for him. "Fine."

They signed in and took their seats. Eiri grabbed a random magazine to look at, while Shuichi started humming bits and pieces of a tune he was working on for one of his newly-written songs. Pretty soon half the people in the waiting room were staring at him.

"Shuichi, _stop _it!" Eiri hissed, hiding his face behind the magazine he was reading. The last thing the author needed was for someone to recognize one or both of them and cause another riot. He was wearing his sunglasses this time but Shuichi was never one to remember to do something so sensible.

Shuichi stopped humming and rested his head on the blond's shoulder, staring back at the people giving him dirty looks. Hadn't anyone ever told them that staring was rude? Besides, quite a few of the people sitting in the waiting area were in no position to talk about HIM being inconsiderate. The young woman sitting behind him, for example, was laughing loudly and obnoxiously at the comic book she was reading. Yet nobody was staring at HER. Another person was picking his nose and reading a porn magazine, ignoring the disapproving looks being thrown his way by the two nuns sitting across from him. He had several similar magazines stacked on the chair next to him and a teenage boy sitting nearby had snuck one from the top of the pile to look at while his oblivious mother filled out paperwork at the nurse's station. The woman's two other sons were running around the waiting area pretending to be ninjas, and it wasn't until they kicked an old man (who knocked a nurse over in the process) that the children were told to sit down. Five minutes later they were up and running around again.

_Doesn't that woman pay ANY attention to her children? _Shuichi wondered as the teenage boy disappeared into the bathroom, taking the magazine he'd stolen with him. How could ANY of these people have the nerve to give HIM dirty looks?

Most of the elderly people (of which there were a considerable number) had migrated to one corner of the waiting room to avoid the above-mentioned people, but there was one old woman sitting across from Shuichi who was still looking at the pink-haired boy like a dog who had just shit on her lawn.

_What the hell is her problem? _he wondered, linking his arm with Eiri's. The woman's facial expression hardened and at that moment he understood the reason for her disgust. She knew that the two men were a couple. Well, what did HE care if some old battle axe had a problem with the fact that he was gay? He didn't! He buried his face in his lover's shoulder and closed his eyes.

The laughter coming from the girl with the comic book was getting louder, and _damn _did she have an annoying laugh! It was grating on his nerves. Finally he opened his eyes and turned around, prepared to offer her money, an autograph or whatever the hell else it took to get her to shut up.

"Look, miss-" he began, stopping suddenly when he recognized her face. She looked up.

"You!"

"YOU!"

"Why are YOU here?" Lola Eto demanded, putting her comic book down.

"Shouldn't you be at _work?_" Shuichi returned.

"I came here with Grandpa! Why the hell are you here!"

"None of your business!"

"Well, get out! I was here first!" the girl demanded childishly, pointing to the door.

"Hell no!" Shuichi yelled. "First you steal my rehearsal room and now you think you're going to steal my hospital?"

"It's not YOUR hospital!"

"Yes, it is!"

"No, it isn't!"

"IS!"

"ISN'T!"

Eiri stared blankly into space, not hearing the childish argument taking place between his lover and the other singer. Hearing the word "Grandpa" had turned the world black in the author's mind, and he let himself spiral into the abyss. Mamoru Eto was here too. If it wasn't the _book _stalking him, it was the author or one of his other relatives hounding him instead. He didn't notice when the petty bickering between the two singers turned into a shouting match, or when security came to break it up. He was lost in his own little world, wondering why fate was tormenting him so.

. . .

"Uesugi-san? Uesugi-san!"

He snapped out of his musings some time later to find a nurse standing in front of him.

"What?"

"The doctor will see you now."

He looked to his right where Shuichi had been sitting moments ago and found the chair empty. "Where...?"

"He was just taken back a moment ago," the nurse said kindly, assuming the handsome blond to have either a head injury or some kind of mental problem.

Eiri let himself be guided out of the waiting area into an exam room, where he was soon checked out and given the usual lecture about how he needed to avoid stress, quit smoking and cut back on his alcohol consumption.

"I'm quite serious, Uesugi-san," the doctor told him when he rolled his eyes. "Cigarette smoking is a major cause of ulcer formation and ulcer treatment failure. Excessive alcohol consumption isn't good for you either. Why do you come here for treatment if you never listen to my advice?"

"Because people keep BRINGING me," the annoyed blond answered. "First my sister and brother-in-law, now that pink-haired idiot. They never leave me alone."

"Because they CARE about you, Uesugi-san," she said. "and you should care about yourself. Or least care enough about the people who love you to try to stay healthy for them."

"Are we finished?" Eiri asked.

"No, we aren't," the woman said, ignoring his rudeness. "I'm going to give you your usual prescription and send you to the X-ray department."

"Why?"

"To have your stomach X-rayed," she answered, handing the prescription and a copy of written instructions to him. "You know, Uesugi-san, one of my current patients has lung cancer. Smoked for over 40 years and continues to do so to this day. I sometimes wonder if he wants to die. You're still a young man and you still have time to counteract the bad decisions you're making now. You have a loving family, a great career, everything in the world to live for. Don't disregard your health so easily."

And with that he was shooed out.

_Everything in the world to live for, huh?_ he mused, imagining the smiling face of his pink-haired cherub as he headed to the X-ray department. It wasn't that his health didn't _matter_ to him, but stress seemed to be a difficult thing for the writer to avoid and nicotine helped calm his nerves and take the edge off. And beer was just so... tasty. Which reminded him, he needed to pick some up on the way home. But... maybe it wouldn't hurt to cut back a _little_...

He would have pondered on this subject for a while, perhaps even give the physician's words some serious consideration, had it not been for the nasty shock waiting for him when he reached his destination.

"Not _you!_"

There, sitting right outside the X-ray department like he owned the place was none other than Mamoru Eto.

._  
_  
_End chapter twenty-three_


	24. Chapter 24 More Medical Issues

**Fleeting Inspiration**  
by Anna Sartin

. . .

**Chapter Twenty-Four:** More Medical Issues

.

"Why are you stalking me?" both men shouted in unison. The two stared blankly at each other for a few seconds.

"Stalking YOU?" Mamoru Eto asked incredulously. "First you show up at my apartment, then at my book signing in Osaka and now my _hospital _and you actually have the nerve to claim I'm stalking YOU? What the hell are you doing here?"

"I don't have to answer to you," Eiri answered defiantly, crossing his arms.

"Getting your head examined, hopefully!" the older man retorted, throwing the magazine he'd been looking at down on the nearby table. "You seem to be in serious need of psychological help!"

Eiri took a step forward, seething with rage. "I don't need to hear that from _you_. That piece of shit you wrote proves that you're LONG overdue for a shrink!"

"I should file a restraining order against you!" the old man said, crossly.

"I should file a restraining order against your stupid book!"

"For the last time, if you don't like the damn book then don't read it, but leave me the hell alone!"

"The damn thing is stalking me!"

"Stop talking nonsense. Are you on drugs, boy?"

"No, but obviously you were when you wrote that damn-"

The door to the X-ray room opened suddenly and a cross-looking lab technician stepped out. Both men stared at her mutely; the elder with his index finger in the air (to wave during the lecture he'd been about to begin) and the younger with his mouth hanging open (from the sentence he'd never gotten to finish). Neither looked very intelligent. The woman would never have believed that she had two highly respected award-winning authors squabbling in the waiting area of her department like ill-mannered children. She looked hard at them both.

"Gentlemen, I'm going to have to ask you both to be quiet. This is a hospital and I would hope that at your ages you know how to conduct yourselves accordingly. Now, are one of you Mamoru Eto-san?"

"I am," the older man confirmed, standing up.

"We're ready to begin your chest X-ray," she told him, stepping aside to let him in the door. To Eiri she said, "Take a seat, sir. I'll be with you in a few minutes."

Eiri sat down in a huff and grabbed the magazine Eto had been reading. It was a trashy celebrity tabloid. _Somehow I expected hospitals to provide reading material with a bit more class in their waiting rooms... _

He skimmed through the pages where the names of both well-known and lesser-known celebrities were dragged through the mud. An actress was supposedly pregnant with her cross-dressing lover's baby. A popular radio announcer had been arrested on drug charges, for the third time now. Same old shit. Turning the page revealed more interesting "information". Apparently aliens had landed on the Diet building and were holding secret meetings with certain members of the Japanese government. Possible plans included helping American scientists blow up the moon, invading a secret Russian colony on Jupiter and founding a new technology-based religion for the new millennium. Eiri rolled his eyes. _Why do people read this stupid shit?_

Eiri turned the page again and snickered at the picture of Ryuichi Sakuma sitting on his brother's lap. Apparently someone had spied them dining together and snapped a great shot of Tatsuha feeding Ryuichi with his chopsticks. Wild rumors were flying about Ryuichi Sakuma and the teenage Buddhist monk. He carefully ripped the page out and folded it before stuffing it in his pocket. Good blackmail material was not something to pass up.

The next page featured an article that claimed he and Shuichi had been arrested last week at Music World for being involved in a "smuggling operation". Apparently they'd also tried to kidnap a teenage girl in the process. Eiri growled and threw the magazine across the room. No wonder Eto thought he was crazy! Why were tabloids allowed to write this shit?

He spent the next twenty minutes sitting with his arms crossed, looking very much like a sulking child as he debated rather or not he should call his lawyer, crawl back to Tohma for help and ask him to gag the media or simply hole himself up in his apartment and never come out again.

. . .

His next stop after getting his stomach X-rayed was the hospital pharmacy to get his prescription filled. Of _course _Eto was there. So was his annoying granddaughter. Eiri gave them both the Evil Eye and went to pick up his medication. Lola glared right back at him, while her grandfather buried his face in a magazine and ignored him.

After picking up his medication Eiri noticed something... odd... over by the vending machines. A hand was sticking out from behind one of them, and two crutches were propped up against the side of it. He moved closer to investigate. He found Shuichi sandwiched between the wall and the machine.

"What are you doing back there?" he asked his boyfriend.

"Hiding behind the vending machine."

"I can see that. Why?"

The singer pointed to Lola, who was seated at the other end of the room. "So SHE doesn't see me!"

"Oh, for the love of... Get out of there!" the writer ordered, dragging his lover out.

"Ow-ow-ow-ow-OW! Careful of my ankle!"

"How long were you planning to stay back there?" Eiri asked.

"Until she went away!" Shuichi responded, handing Eiri a small square machine he'd been holding so he could get his crutches. "Can you please hold this for me? I don't want to drop it."

"Fine." At least he wouldn't have to go wandering the hospital corridors in search of his pink-haired idiot. He'd had enough of doctors, lab techs and hospitals for one day, and he'd had enough of Mamoru Eto and his stupid family to last a lifetime. "So what is this thing?" Eiri asked, examining the contraption. It was obviously a piece of medical equipment, but he couldn't figure out what it was for.

"A nebulizer."

"A _what_?"

The singer's smile faded and he lowered his eyes to the floor. "Yuki, I... I need to talk to you..."

"Can it wait until we get out of here?" Eiri asked, already heading for the exit.

"Uh... sure..." Shuichi swallowed the lump in his throat and hobbled after him, struggling to keep up on his crutches. "So how did your appointment go?" he asked, forcing a smile.

Eiri held the door open for him. "Fine."

"What did the doctor say?" Shuichi inquired, when his lover didn't offer any more information.

"That I should quit smoking, stop drinking and avoid stress. The usual."

Shuichi's eyes clouded over for a moment before asking, "Are you going to do it?"

"Hell no."

"Do you... do you think you _could _do it?"

"I don't care to find out."

Shuichi heaved a deep sigh, but said nothing. He could only imagine how his lover would react when he told him how HIS appointment went. Would he get angry? Upset? _He might even cough up blood again... _he thought as they reached the car._ What am I going to DO?_

. . .

Shuichi spent the entire ride home feeling sick to his stomach. By the time they got back to the apartment the pain was unbearable and he collapsed onto the couch after Eiri had gone to the kitchen to get a drink. _It feels like someone's doing back flips in my stomach... _He still had no idea how to talk to his lover. He was rather surprised Yuki hadn't asked about his appointment already. Despite his nonchalant appearance, the blond was usually very perceptive and knew immediately when something was wrong.

"DAMN IT!" Eiri shouted from the kitchen.

"What is it?" Shuichi called out to him.

"I forgot to stop and buy beer!"

Shuichi closed his eyes, trying to will himself not to cry. It wasn't working.

"Do we need anything else from the store?" Eiri asked as he entered the room, prepared to go out again. He found his young lover curled up in a ball, his body shaking from repressed sobs. "Shuichi?" He approached his companion and knelt down beside him. "Shuichi? What's wrong with you?"

_I've got to tell him... I've got to tell him now... _Shuichi opened his eyes. "Yuki... The doctor says I'm not allowed to sing."

Eiri stared at him for a few seconds before asking, "For how long?"

"Three weeks, or longer if I can't sing without getting winded. He says I shouldn't do anything to strain my lungs."

"You'll live," Eiri said coldly, trying not to sound as relieved as he felt. _He's such a drama queen. Three weeks is nothing to cry about! _He turned to leave, slightly angry at his lover for worrying him. Shuichi grabbed his sleeve.

"Yuki?"

"What?"

"I... I've got to talk to you," he said softly, pulling himself into a sitting position. "About something important."

This got the author's attention. "I'm listening."

"The doctor says... If I want to keep singing... I shouldn't live with you anymore."

_"WHAT?"_

Shuichi burst into tears. "H-he said that getting water in my lungs weakened them and... th-that if I live with a person who smokes they're going to get worse. He said... if I wanted to continue to sing professionally I have to stay from things that will damage them more, otherwise..."

Eiri stared blankly into space, feeling as though the bottom had dropped out of his world.

Shuichi pulled his knees up to his chest, burying his face as he cried. "I'm so sorry, Yuki! I love you so much, and I love to sing, too... I don't want to lose either, but I don't know what to do!"

Finally Eiri embraced the sobbing figure sitting in front of him and buried his face in the boy's pink hair. He took a deep breath.

"Don't worry," he said, trying to sound reassuring. "We'll figure something out." But the words sounded hollow even to his own ears. For once, he wasn't so sure.

.

_End chapter twenty-four_


	25. Chapter 25 Eiri's Dilemma

**Fleeting Inspiration**  
by Anna Sartin

. . .

**Chapter Twenty-Five:** Eiri's Dilemma

.

When Eiri first suggested sending Shuichi to his parent's house for the night, Shuichi panicked. He felt certain that his lover was getting him out of the apartment so he could either skip town or throw his stuff out and change the locks on him. The past had taught him that whenever something bad happened to him Eiri's first reaction was to blame himself; and his way of dealing with it was to push him away. While he would chase the blond all over the globe if need be, the singer didn't relish the idea of doing so on crutches. Besides, he didn't want to play this game anymore! He thought their relationship has evolved beyond running away from their problems instead of facing them together! Terrified, he cried hysterically for twenty minutes, begging and pleading for Eiri to change his mind.

"What's so bad about visiting your parents?" the author asked finally. "You talk about doing it all the time but claim you never have the time. Why not now?"

"You're going to LEAVE me!" Shuichi screamed, tears streaming down his eyes as he latched on to his lover with a vice-like grip. "Please don't do it, Yuki! Please don't leave me!"

"I'm not going to leave you."

"I don't believe you!"

"I need time to think, okay? And I need you out of here for awhile while I do that."

"I can go to Hiro's..."

"Hiro smokes. Besides, isn't he at work right now?"

"Well then I can go for a walk in the park or something!" Shuichi said quickly.

"On crutches? I'm sure the doctor told you to stay off your feet for a few days; any sensible physician would. Can you _please _do this for me?"

In the end Shuichi complied with his request, but only after Eiri agreed to come back and get him that evening instead of the next day. Despite his promise the boy still sniffled the whole way there and gave him the most heart-wrenching look of betrayal when he moved to get out of the car. His eyes were silently begging "_Please don't leave me..."_

"I'll be back later," the writer promised again, but he could tell Shuichi didn't believe it. He pulled the singer in for a kiss. "Six O'clock," he whispered in his ear, "I'll have a surprise for you then."

"Really?"

"Really. See you later."

. . .

After dropping Shuichi off Eiri headed straight to the hospital to gather information. He now fully believed that the powers that be were out to utterly destroy him and he was tired of submitting to the Fates' ill sense of humor. Whatever happened, he was _not _letting anything take Shuichi away from him. He'd come too far with the boy to lose him now. Nevertheless, he needed to know more about what he was up against if he was to combat it.

When he first arrived he worried that his lover's doctor would refuse to tell him anything, citing doctor-patient confidentiality, but Dr. Kamimura actually turned out to be quite helpful. Apparently Shuichi had talked about "his Yuki" non-stop during his examination and the man knew who the blond was immediately when Eiri asked if he could ask him a few questions regarding the health of Shuichi Shindo.

"He needs the most sanitary breathing environment possible," the doctor told him, after inviting Eiri into his office so they could talk. He explained that in addition to avoiding cigarette smoke, Shuichi also needed to avoid exposure a good number of other things including harsh fumes, pollution, damp weather and germs. "His lungs are extremely sensitive right now," the doctor explained, "Which makes him vulnerable to many different types of respiratory infections that could cause him serious harm. If his breathing environment is not improved his condition will worsen."

Eiri closed his eyes, trying to take everything in. What the hell was he going to _do?_

"I want to urge you to quit smoking, Uesugi-san," the doctor said, handing him a packet of information on the health risks associated with smoking. "For your own sake as well as his. Smoking harms nearly every major organ of the body, and being constantly exposed to second-hand smoke means that Shindo-san runs the same risk of cancer, heart disease and respiratory disorders that you do. Professional singers are encouraged not to smoke and to avoid environments where they would be constantly exposed to it."

"Kamimura-sensei," Eiri began slowly, silently reminding himself that the man sitting in front of him was _not_ his doctor or an annoying relative trying to tell him how to live his life, but a person who wanted to protect Shuichi's health. So, as calmly and respectfully as possible he explained that while he _knew_ it was in his best interest to stop smoking, he simply wasn't _capable_ of quitting at this point in his life. Too much had happened; too much was _still _happening. He just wasn't ready.

"Then at the very least you need to refrain from smoking near Shindo-san or in any enclosed area where he will breath the same air. He is resolved to live with you, but as I said his health will slowly decline if his environment does not improve."

After twenty minutes of consulting with the doctor, Eiri headed to the psychiatry department to make an appoint with his psychologist. He had a feeling he was going to be seeing a lot of her in the future.

. . .

_I can't do this..._ he thought as he pulled out of the parking lot. Did he love Shuichi? Yes, deeply. There had been a point in time when he could easily deny this fact to himself, but not anymore. The day he pulled the unconscious singer out of the hotel pool he'd lost that ability forever. But the bottom line was that he _couldn't _quit smoking. He wasn't ready and he wasn't sure that he ever would be. He stopped at a red light and rested his head against the steering wheel.

_Now what?  
_  
Obviously changes needed to be made, Dr. Kamimura had made that abundantly clear, but what if Shuichi needed more than he was able to give? The boy needed a lot more from him than his willingness to start sitting in the non-smoking section of restaurants. This was going to take an ongoing commitment to put the singer's needs ahead of his own, and being unselfish was NOT one of the author's strong points. Part of what made their relationship click was Shuichi's willingness to ignore the blond's personality flaws, but he could no longer afford to be thoughtless.

_My thoughtlessness could cost him his health and his career... _

His entire apartment was filled with the smell of his cigarettes, and Dr. Kamimura had made it clear that it was not a suitable environment for Shuichi. So he was right back to where he started. Now what?

He snapped out of his musings a while later to the sound of a cop knocking on his car window. He also noticed for the first time the sound of honking horns. He rolled down the window.

"Move it, buddy!" the cop told him. "Why are you sitting in the middle of the road holding up traffic?"

Eiri looked behind him. In addition to honking their horns, the motorists behind him were shouting, swearing and shaking their fists at him. The person directly behind him was giving him the finger. Traffic was backed up as far as the eye could see. He REALLY needed to stop zoning out during red lights; this wasn't the first time this sort of thing had happened. He stepped on the gas quickly and took off, before this cop could write him ANOTHER ticket.

. . .

By the time he got home the writer had come up with the beginnings of a plan. Based on Kamimura-sensei's recommendations and his unwillingness to give up either his nicotine or his brat, he'd come up with two resolves:

1. No more smoking in front of the brat, and  
2. No more smoking in the house

The second was going to be a lot more difficult than the first, and it depended on how well he was able to carry out his plan. The first thing he did after escaping the cop was go to the medical supply store Shuichi's doctor recommended and buy two expensive air purification systems. He then stopped at the first place he saw that sold beer and stocked up. He had a feeling he was going to need it before this was all said and done.

When he walked in the front door the smell of soup filled his nostrils. Tohma's hat and coat were in plain sight and his humming could be heard from the kitchen. Eiri cursed inwardly. He was in no mood to deal with his sister's husband today; he had too much to do. He walked into the kitchen to find his brother-in-law wearing his usual pink apron.

"Ah, Eiri! You're finally home. I've made some tea, and there's soup on the stove."

"Why are YOU here?"

Tohma laughed. "You seem to ask that question a lot. Mika-san misplaced her driver's license and I figured-"

"It's on the coffee table in the living room."

"I know, I found it."

"Then why are you still here?"

For a second Tohma actually looked hurt, but he quickly replaced his usual smile and replied, "Because I wanted to see you, of course."

"I don't have time for this, Seguchi. I've got to get this place completely finished by six-o'clock and-"

"Having company?"

"No. Now if there's nothing else you need-"

"I'll help you!" the older man offered cheerfully. "Like they say, many hands make light work!"

Seeing as Tohma wasn't going to leave, Eiri figured he might as well utilize his resources and put him to work. He needed to talk him about a few things anyway. He handed Tohma the air purification system he was holding. "Fine. Go plug this in while I get the other one out of the car. And open all the windows."

.

_End chapter twenty-five_


	26. Chapter 26 Taking Care of My Baby

**Fleeting Inspiration**  
by Anna Sartin

. . .

**Chapter Twenty-Six:** Taking Care of My Baby

.

The apartment sparkled by the time Eiri and Tohma were finished cleaning it. The floors had been scrubbed, the furniture had been dusted and all the sheets, blankets and other linens had been washed. If Shuichi's doctor said he needed a sanitary living environment then Eiri was determined that he would have nothing less. Several things that no amount of cleaning would get the smell of smoke out of had been thrown away, for Eiri's sake as well as his lover's. If he couldn't smoke in here then he didn't want the smell of it driving him insane, particularly when he was trying to work.

At first the task of removing the smell of tobacco from his study had seemed daunting, even impossible, and he'd briefly considered simply banning his boyfriend from the room so he could have a "refuge" of sorts to smoke in while he worked. The idea was quickly dismissed, however, when he realized that he was now _used _to having the brat run in at random intervals and ramble endlessly when he was excited, or sit in the stool beside him and tell him how his day went when he got home from work in the afternoon. Perhaps he even liked it in his own way. It was a part of their daily routine that he would sorely miss if Shuichi could no longer enter his study. With mixed feelings he emptied the ashtray on his desk and cleaned it, before absentmindedly returning it to its original spot next to his laptop.

The study had received a complete overhaul. With Tohma's help the furniture had been rearranged and the yellowish walls repainted white again. From an outsider's point of view it would have been a comic sight to watch the two extremely wealthy men attempt this form of manual labor, as neither of them had ever painted a room in their lives and made several blunders before getting the process down pat. They had learned the hard way that they needed to move the furniture _before _painting, not after; the white paint all over the sides of Eiri's bookcases were a testament to this fact. Eiri had learned that a silk shirt was not something to wear while painting and Tohma had learned that paint remover was not meant to be used to get paint off clothing. By the end of the day Eiri's $200 shirt (a gift from Tohma, ironically) was $200 trash.

"If anything ever needs painted again I suggest we do the sane thing and hire a professional to do it," Tohma commented when the room was done. His pink apron was now mostly white.

"Agreed."

"Where should I plug this in?" Tohma asked, referring to the air purifier he was holding.

"Over in the corner," Eiri told him. Shuichi would have to stay out of the room until the air purifier got the paint fumes under control.

During the process of turning his living spacing upside down, he and Tohma had had one of the most insightful conversations they'd had in years. They'd discussed Shuichi's medical issues, Mika's pregnancy (apparently not being able to smoke wasn't sitting too well with her either), Eiri's lack of inspiration and the various problems that he and his lover had been having with Mamoru Eto and his family. Tohma was immediately apologetic for his part in the disaster.

"I'm sorry, Eiri-san," he apologized. "I sold the rights to "Shining Collection" to Eto's granddaughter because I thought it would make you happy to see your talent being recognized by a man you've admired for years. It appears that I've been a large part of the problem without knowing."

"I just want them out of our lives," Eiri said, dropping _Four Gay Elves _on his desk disdainfully. "Even if I can't escape from this piece of shit, there's no reason for the brat to be involved. I want that girl to leave him alone."

"I'll take care of it tomorrow," Tohma promised as they exited the room and headed for the kitchen. "I had no idea any of this was going on. You should have come to me earlier."

"Maybe," Eiri responded. "But I don't want you and Mika feeling like you have to look out for me all the time. I get tired of you both constantly trying to fix my life."

He knew he was going to have to accept that there would be no escaping his brother-in-law for a while, not until the older blond was satisfied that he was alright. He needed to come up with a plan to speed the process up a bit, but at the moment he didn't have time to come up with one. Shuichi's health came first, curing his writer's block second, getting rid of the wretched book in his study third and sometime after these things had been taken care of he would deal with his nosy (but well meaning) sister and brother-in-law.

"We're your family, Eiri-san," Tohma returned. "We worry about you because we love you. Neither of us wants you to get hurt again."

"When I need your help I ask for it," Eiri answered, entering the kitchen. "But I'm tired of you interfering without my consent or threatening Shuichi every time something goes wrong."

"I'm... sorry, Eiri-san," Tohma sighed. "I know I have a tenancy to blame Shindo-san when you have problems but-"

"If you're sorry then quit _doing _it," Eiri cut him off. "He doesn't need the stress and neither do I."

"What do you want for dinner?" Tohma asked, plastering his usual smile back on his face as he attempted to change the subject.

_"Shit!"_

"My cooking isn't _that _bad, is it?

"No, I forgot I told Shuichi I'd have a surprise for him when I picked him up."

"What did you have in mind?"

"Nothing, I just said that to get him out of the car."

"Well, let me take care of it for you," the other man offered, opening the refrigerator. "You go get him and I'll whip up something while you're gone."

Seeing as he had promised to pick Shuichi at six and it was almost six-thirty, Eiri figured he didn't have time to look a gift horse in mouth.

"Thanks, Seguchi," he said quickly as he went to get his coat, leaving Tohma standing over the stove in his kitchen in his pink (and white) apron preparing to make dinner.

"Couldn't you call me "big brother" occasionally?" Tohma called, as Eiri slammed the front door.

. . .

Eiri found Shuichi's mother to be rather odd for a woman in her early forties. Like Shuichi she had the tendency to spaz out at random times and conversations with her quickly reminded Eiri that his boyfriend's idiosyncrasies were most likely genetic. Like many women she was "devoted fan" of his writing, and whenever he knocked on her door she always had a copy of his latest book on hand for him sign. He'd been spared this the first time they'd met due to the fact that the woman never dreamed that Eiri Yuki would be on her doorstep and took him for a look-a-like, but on the rare occasions he'd shown up at her residence since then he'd been treated like a celebrity. Which made sense, he supposed, because he was one, but somehow the concept didn't sit well with him. Shuichi claimed that his sister was even worse, making Eiri glad the girl was never home when he happened to go there. He didn't _want _to be a celebrity to Shuichi's family members, he wanted to be... what? Family? A son-in-law?

_A son-in-law? I did NOT just think that!_

He shook his head and rang the door bell.

"Yuki-san!" Mrs. Shindo quickly ushered him in the door, already holding the book she wanted him to sign. "You don't have to ring the bell! You're family!"

Eiri blinked and entered, wondering if Buddha had heard his prayers and answered them. Maybe this was a sign his luck was starting to change. Shuichi's mother quickly shoved the book and a pen in his hands, and his hopes were quickly dashed.

"Your latest book was amazing!" she gushed, rambling on about his "brilliance" and "masterful storytelling" as he signed the book, returned it to her and went in search of Shuichi. This was usually the point where the brat rescued him but today the boy was nowhere in sight.

"Where's Shuichi?" he asked, when the woman stopped talking long enough to take a breath.

"Asleep on the couch. I guess Maiko tuckered him out." She laughed and led him to the living room where both her children were asleep, one on the sofa and the other on a nearby chair.

Eiri looked at the girl, who had flour all over the apron she was wearing. So _this _was the infamous Maiko Shindo he'd heard so much about. According to Shuichi she was an obsessed Eiri Yuki fangirl, and between Maiko and her mother the two had amassed a huge collection of newspaper clippings, magazine articles and television interviews they'd taped whenever he made a TV appearance. It reminded him of his brother's "Ryuichi collection" and he found the comparison somewhat disturbing. Tatsuha still kept his precious collection hidden under his bed, rather Sakuma would be flattered or disturbed by it was anybody's guess. At any rate, he'd been able to avoid meeting Shuichi's sister so far and he'd prefer to postpone the meeting until a later date. He wasn't in the mood to deal with both the girl and her mother at once. He wondered if he could get Shuichi out of the place without waking her up.

Shuichi looked pale and exhausted. In a way Eiri was sorry for dumping his little lover at his family's house for the day, but if he hadn't gotten rid of Shuichi for a while he wouldn't have been able to get as much done as he had. Besides, who better to trust to look after his brat then the boy's own family? He smirked at the flour covering the singer's clothes. Hopefully he'd had a good time.

"Could you get his things?" Eiri asked his boyfriend's mother. "I don't want to wake him."

"Then how are- oh!" Her half-finished question was answered as Eiri gently picked up the sleeping boy and headed for the car. Grabbing her son's crutches and the bag of cookies Maiko had tied up for her brother to take home, Mrs. Shindo followed suite.

Eiri settled his sleeping bundle into the backseat and loaded the crutches after him. Shuichi's mother handed him the cookies.

"Make sure my baby gets enough rest, even if you have to tie him to the bed!" she told the author as he got in the car. "He looks like he's working too hard. And don't let him bounce around too much on that ankle!"

Eiri smiled at her. Even at (almost) twenty, her oldest child was still "her baby". He wondered why the needless parental concern seemed cute to him, especially when he couldn't stand it coming from his _own_ family. It a strange way it warmed him, making him think of his own deceased mother. Would she still fuss and fret over her adult children the way Mrs. Shindo did? He wondered if her presence would have made him _want _to go home to Kyoto instead of avoiding the place like the plague.

"Take care of my baby," Mrs. Shindo told him as he started the engine.

Eiri glanced at his sleeping lover in the rear-view mirror, wondering how _his _mother would have reacted to his choice to love a man instead of keeping with tradition and taking a wife to produce heirs. Would she have welcomed Shuichi into the family and asked him to "take care of her baby", or would she have sided with his father and told him that homosexuality was an outrage? He would never know.

"I will," he promised Shuichi's mother, and he meant it. "After all," he said in a low voice, after checking again to make Shuichi was still asleep and wouldn't overhear him. "He's my baby, too."

With that he pulled out of the drive way and was out of sight in seconds, leaving his delighted "mother-in-law" staring after him.

._  
_  
_End chapter twenty-six_


	27. Chapter 27 Pillow Talk

**Fleeting Inspiration**  
by Anna Sartin

. . .

**Chapter Twenty-Seven:** Pillow Talk

.

Shuichi opened his eyes and yawned, feeling oddly content as he stretched out. He loved the smell of clean sheets on a bed. Wait... _sheets? _He blinked and took in his surroundings. _I'm home?_

How had he gotten from his parents' living room to Yuki's bedroom? He sat up slowly, confused. For a few seconds he wondered if visiting his parents' house had been nothing but a dream, until he noticed that he still had flour on his shirt from baking cookies with his sister._ Then how did I get here? Did Yuki...?_

Little hearts floated over his head as he squealed, "Yuki carried me home!"

He hopped out of bed, prepared to go find his lover and tackle him. A sharp pain shot through his ankle as soon as his foot hit the floor, reminding him why there was a pair of crutches leaning against the nightstand.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!"

. . .

"Well, so much for the candlelit dinner on the balcony."

"I'm sorry, Yuki... I can still get up and-"

"No!" Eiri said quickly, handing Shuichi the tray of food he was holding. "Just stay still and eat your dinner."

"I'm sorry I ruined your surprise."

_It was Tohma's idea, anyway... _Eiri thought as he sat down on the bed next to him._ I would have come up with something more original. _He pulled his legs up and laid down. "Just don't try to jump out of bed again, idiot. You scared the hell out of me."

"I'm sorry, Yuki."

"Seguchi was holding a plate of food when you yelled and now I've got to figure out how to get spaghetti sauce off the ceiling."

"I'm sorry, Yu-"

"And quit apologizing!"

Shuichi's mouth snapped shut.

Eiri took a deep breath and closed his eyes. When he and Tohma had first run into the room both feared that Shuichi had broken his twisted ankle. His stomach was still aching from the stress. _He's going to be the death of me yet! _

"Don't you want to eat?" Shuichi asked, pointing to the spaghetti.

"I'm not hungry."

"You should really eat something, Yuki. You look like you're losing weight."

"Tomorrow, okay? We can have dinner at that buffet you like so much."

"Promise?"

Eiri responded with a grunt and then, to change the subject, asked, "So did you have a good time with your family?"

"Yes! Mom and I had lunch together and it made me realize that I hadn't had her cooking in SO long! It was really good to have Mom's home cooking, you know? Then we talked for like two hours- actually we mostly talked about you- and when Maiko came home from school we baked cookies together and I accidentally set the stove on fire- not that Mom minded or anything because she said she was so happy to have me home- so my batch got ruined and Maiko gave me half of her cookies instead. I really missed my sister but I didn't realize it until she was actually in front of me and I thought "man, it's been forever since I heard her voice!" because we send e-mails back and forth instead of using the phone. I didn't get to see Dad at all because he had to work late and that made me a little sad so Mom suggested that I bring you over sometime to have dinner with the family. You wouldn't mind, would you? I mean, my family's really nice even though Mom's a little crazy and Maiko's kind of obsessed with you but I'm sure I could make her behave and-"

"Are you going to eat that food or are you going to let it get cold?" Eiri asked, hoping to shut him up. He'd never met anyone who could ramble on the way Shuichi did.

"Huh? Oh, sorry..." He shoved a forkful of spaghetti into his mouth and continued to ramble on for another twenty minutes or so until he noticed his partner was falling asleep.

"Yuki!"

"Huh? What?"

"Don't fall asleep!"

"You make me tired."

"So what did _you _do while I was gone?"

"Buy beer, clean the place and paint the study."

"You repainted your study? What color?"

"Purple with yellow polka dots."

"You did not!"

Eiri grinned. "What makes you so sure?"

"Did you really? I wanna go see!" He was about to hop off the bed again, fortunately Eiri grabbed him just before his foot hit the ground.

"You idiot! Didn't you learn anything from what happened half an hour ago? God, I swear you must be defective!"

"But I wanna see your-"

"It's WHITE, you moron!"

"But you said-"

"I lied, stupid! I painted the room white!"

"Wasn't your study already white?" Shuichi asked, settling back down as Eiri took the serving tray and empty dishes and set them on the floor.

"And your point is?"

Shuichi decided to let it drop. "Well, at least that explains why Seguchi-san's apron looks like a snowman threw up on it!"

"You should see my shirt."

"Which shirt?

"The one I was wearing this morning, stupid!"

"You mean the blue one Seguchi-san gave you for Christmas last year?"

"Yes."

"Why didn't you change into some old clothes before you started? Everyone knows you don't wear your good clothes to paint in!"

"Guess I've been hanging around you for too long. You must have infected me with stupid."

Shuichi laughed. "Infected you with stupid? You sound like Tatsuha."

Eiri groaned and covered his face with his arms. That was the _last _thing he needed to hear.

"But now that I think about it, I bet you two used to have all kinds of fun imitating each other when you were kids!"

"Now why would we do a stupid thing like that?" the author asked, although in truth his lover's assumption was correct. During their "revenge game" he and his brother had both made use of their uncanny likeness to one another. Tatsuha called all SEVEN of his brother's girlfriends pretending to be him and dumped them, and in retaliation Eiri called their next-door neighbor's extremely unattractive 13-year old daughter and (as Tatsuha) asked her to marry him. After that the girl followed the younger Uesugi brother around like a lovesick puppy for nearly a year and Tatsuha barely escaped having a marriage arrangement hammered out by their families. Eiri laughed as he remembered the horrified expression on his brother's face when their father first suggested it.

"What's so funny?" Shuichi asked, laying down next to him.

"Nothing."

The singer smiled faintly. "I like your laugh."

"What?"

"I like to hear you laugh."

The author fought back a smile. "Why?"

"I don't know... I guess it's 'cause I love the sound of your voice. Besides, you don't do it often so I love it when you do!" He flashed his lover a brilliant smile and kissed him on the cheek.

"Whatever. I'm going to sleep."

"Will you drop me off at N-G tomorrow?"

"What for? The doctor said you can't sing for three weeks, so what's the point in going there?"

"Fugisaki wants me to hear an arrangement and I still need to finish the lyrics for my last song. I promised K that I would get it done by the first of the month if he let me go on vacation and I'm already three days late. I don't want him to think I'm a slacker!"

Eiri opened his eyes. "You just don't want him to drag you out of here and shoot you in the morning."

Shuichi grinned sheepishly. "That too."

"Fine. Go to sleep.

. . .

Sometime later Tohma entered the bedroom to announce that he'd finally managed to get the spaghetti sauce off the ceiling and met with a cute sight. Eiri and Shuichi were cuddling together in their sleep. Shuichi was clutching the blond possessively and Eiri was drooling slightly. Tohma grinned and closed the door, before heading home to his wife.

.

_End chapter twenty-seven_


	28. Chapter 28 Thief!

**Fleeting Inspiration**  
**by Anna Sartin**

. . .

**Chapter Twenty-Eight:** Thief!

.

"La li ho!"

Hiro looked up from tuning his guitar. "Hey, Shuichi. You're looking bright and chipper this morning."

"My life just can't get any better!" Shuichi announced as he held up the two bags he was holding. "Maiko gave me cookies yesterday and look, YUKI MADE ME LUNCH!"

"For _real?_" Hiro asked.

"For real! Now I'll know how guys feel when they eat a lunch from their loving wife during a hard day at work!" The singer rubbed his face against the bag in a cat-like fashion before hugging it lovingly.

Hiro raised an eyebrow. "Loving wife?"

"Who is Maiko?" Suguru inquired.

"His sister," Hiro answered, reaching for the bag of cookies. "Man, it's been forever since I've had some of Maiko's cookies..."

Shuichi clutched both bags protectively. "Hands off, lover boy! These babies are all mine!"

"Aw, can't I have just ONE?"

"Will you two get it together?" Suguru scolded. "We're scheduled to be in Studio 3 today so let's get down there."

"I don't _want_ to go to Studio 3," Hiro said, making no move to get up. "Whispering Phantom is already in there."

"AGAIN?" Shuichi yelled. "Bad Luck always gets Studio 3 on Tuesdays! It's listed on the schedule!"

"We've been dealing with this problem almost everyday since you went on vacation," Suguru explained. "Before then they were using one of the smaller studios on the first floor, but there's been a lot of security breaches lately and Seguchi-san said that the motorcycle accident was the last straw. No one is allowed anywhere down there except the lobby until all the doors and windows are re-enforced and new security measures are drawn up."

"What motorcycle accident?" Shuichi asked.

Hiro laughed. "A certain teenage idiot we know tried to barge into the place on his motorcycle two Sundays ago demanding to see Ryuichi. He apparently forgot that the only people who come to N-G on Sundays are janitors, security guards and workaholics like Sakano."

"And a good thing, too!" Shuichi responded. "Sakuma might have been hurt! I bet if Tatsuha had been here he would have kicked that guy's ass!"

Hiro and Suguru both sweatdropped, wondering how anyone could possibly be _that_ dense. Weren't "teenage idiot", "motorcycle" and "demanding to see Ryuichi" enough clues for anyone who knew the youngest Uesugi sibling?

"Well, anyway... Sakano-san said he was going to talk to Seguchi-san about the problems we've been having with Whispering Phantom," Suguru said. "He's in a meeting with him now."

"Why is everyone sitting around here?" K asked them as he entered the room. "You're supposed to be in Studio 3!" Suguru gathered his things and stood up, but his two band mates made no move to exit the room until K fired a shot into the ceiling. "Let's get moving!" the American demanded. "Bad Luck only gets to use Studio 3 for two hours today and then Nittle Grasper is scheduled to use it."

Hiro and Shuichi both grumbled as they filed out of the room, but neither were stupid enough to argue with the large assault rifle their manager was holding. Shuichi was last in line as he hobbled out of the room on his crutches, hoping by some miracle Lola Eto wouldn't be there when they arrived.

. . .

_So much for miracles... _Shuichi thought sourly when he and his companions reached their destination. Although the room was silent as the tomb when they got there, all five members of Whispering Phantom and their manager were present. Lola was sitting a chair with her arms crossed, looking rather cross. One could almost see storm clouds brewing over her head. The rest of the band, including its one and only male member, were keeping a safe distance away on the other side of the room painting their fingernails. Hiro quickly decided that pink nail polish on a man looked very, very wrong.

"What's going on?" Suguru whispered to K. "Why aren't they working?" The blond American shrugged.

The band's manager was pacing the floor nervously, reminding Shuichi of Sakano before a concert... or before a meeting... or a TV appearance, or just about anything, really. He wondered if N-G had a thing for hiring nervous types, or if being employed by the company was really THAT stressful.

"Will you knock it OFF!" Lola finally shouted in English, pulling at the man's tie to try and get him to sit down.

"Stop it," K ordered, also in English as he freed the man from her grasp and pulled him aside. "What's going on?" he asked, switching back to Japanese.

"Seguchi-san told me to halt all of Whispering Phantom's activities until he meets with us this morning. We're waiting here until he calls for us."

K nodded and turned to the others. "Let's get to work, people!"

"What about _them_?" Shuichi asked.

"They're waiting here to see Seguchi, not to use the equipment. I want those lyrics finished _today_ Shindo or I'm locking you in the closet until they're done! Hiro, get in the booth!"

There were only two chairs left to sit in, since K had seized the one closest to the sound booth and Whispering Phantom (and their junk) occupied most the rest. Both of the remaining available seats were far too near Lola Eto for Shuichi's liking, but in the end he knew couldn't stand all day on crutches and he wanted to get home at a decent hour so he and Yuki could go out to dinner as they'd planned. He grudgingly took the seat farthest away from his rival singer and sat the bags containing his lunch and Maiko's cookies on the empty seat between them. He then pulled out his sheet of paper containing his half-finished lyrics.

_When my eyes are brimming with unshed tears  
Words of the mouth fail to reach out  
Listening to the unspoken words of your heart  
I long to learn the secret language of your body_

_Golden light reaching out to you  
Seeking the familiar warmth  
Tears shed in the golden glow of twilight  
For the soul of the wanderer in the darkness_

_CRY FROM THE DARK!  
Something deep inside of me  
Calls out to you without a sound_

_CRY TO THE NIGHT!  
I hear your answering call  
Together, let's create a new tomorrow!_

It was at this point Shuichi's lyrical muse had abandoned him. He stared at the lyrics, hoping for sudden inspiration. Nope, nothing. He stared harder, trying to force the right words to come forth and present themselves on the paper. After _CRY FROM THE DARK!_ the song was supposed to pick up the pace and he needed lyrics suitable to the increase in tempo. He knew how he wanted the song to end, but he wasn't sure what to write next. He pulled out his "lucky pencil" and started writing.

_Echos of the past carved into our flesh  
Whispers of the future lead us on  
Forging an era of blazing dreams  
We stand and challenge the heavens_

He examined what he had written. Not bad, maybe his muse hadn't abandoned him after all. He continued writing, oblivious to the rest of the world as he imagined Yuki encouraging him, just as his lover had when they'd started writing the song together on vacation. _Maybe I won't be here all night after all. I'm coming, Yuki!_

A few minutes later Sakano entered the room and informed Whispering Phantom's manager that Tohma Seguchi was ready to see them. The man motioned with his arms for the young Americans to follow him. "How does he communicate with them when they don't understand Japanese?" Sakano asked, scratching his head as one by one they filed out of the room while their manager frantically ushered them out like a crazed shepherd.

"The Eto girl speaks Japanese," K responded. "I guess she translates for the rest of her band."

Shuichi reached over for his bag of cookies, deciding that something sweet was just what he needed to keep his creative flow going. When he couldn't find it, he looked on the floor to see if the bag had fallen off. No. Where the hell was it? His lunch bag was still sitting on the chair but the bag of cookies had vanished.

"Hiro!"

"What?" the guitarist asked, coming out of the sound booth.

"Give them back!"

"What?"

"Maiko's cookies!"

"I didn't take them."

Shuichi looked at Suguru next, who shook his head.

"Where did you see them last?" Sakano asked in a motherly fashion, as if he were addressing a careless child who frequently misplaced his belongings.

"They were right here next to me and then they were gone!"

"Were they in a box?" Sakano asked.

"No, a pink bag!"

Sakano stared at the chair next to Shuichi, then at the door where he had just come in. "Was it a pink lunch bag that tied at the top?"

"Yes!"

"And did it have little triangles on it?"

"That's right. How'd you know?"

Sakano pointed to the door. "That young woman- Eto-san, I think- was carrying a bag that looked like that when she left the room."

"THAT BITCH!"

.

_End chapter twenty-eight_


	29. The Downfall of Lola Eto & Breakdown of ...

**Fleeting Inspiration**  
by Anna Sartin

. . .

**Chapter Twenty-Nine:** The Downfall of Lola Eto and Breakdown of Eiri Yuki

.

"In the end it all comes down to sales figures," K informed Sakano and Shuichi as they stood in front of Tohma's office. He had an ear pressed to the door, listening intently to what was going on inside. "Apparently their CD isn't selling well and Tohma has threatened to drop them from N-G if their sales figures don't improve."

"K-san you really shouldn't eavesdrop on private meetings," Sakano chided him.

"What are they saying now?" Shuichi asked.

"Their manager is pleading for more time to promote their album and the Eto girl is feeding the boss some sob story about having a sick relative to take care of."

Shuichi crossed his arms. "Sick relative, my ass!"

"This isn't _right!_" Sakano pleaded. "If Seguchi-san finds out we'll ALL be fired!" He turned to Shuichi. "Please, _please _let's go back to the studio, Shindo-san!"

"No! I'm not going anywhere until she gives me back my cookies!" After hobbling all the way here on his crutches to stake out Seguchi's office there was no _way _he was leaving now. All his newly-found inspiration had been sucked out of him by that wretched girl and he was going to make her face the music!

"I'll BUY you more cookies!"

"They wouldn't be _Maiko's _cookies!"

"Seguchi is reprimanding the Eto girl about her behavior now," K informed his companions. "Apparently she flicked off a security guard and-"

"K-san, stop this!" Sakano pleaded again. "The president will-"

"Will you calm _down?_"

"But Seguchi-san-"

"Seguchi-san, Seguchi-san!" K mimicked him. "I know you've got a life-sized poster of the man in your living room, but will you get over your precious Seguchi-san for two minutes so I can hear?"

Sakano turned red. "I-I-I-I-I do not!"

"You do. I've seen it. Now shut up, I can't hear!"

"You have a life-sized poster of Tohma Seguchi in your _living room?_" Shuichi asked, giving Sakano an odd look. Sakano groaned.

"The meeting has concluded," K told them. "Seguchi has agreed to give them more time to promote their album provided there are no more infract-" Before he could finish his sentence the door flew open and K was slammed into the wall behind it.

"Give me back my cookies!" Shuichi demanded as Lola exited the room.

"They're gone," she said, throwing the now-empty bag at him.

"YOU ATE ALL MY COOKIES?"

"No, my friends had some, too," she said, pointing to the rest of her band. They smiled at him, completely ignorant of what was going on. They had no idea what had been said during the meeting either, but they were all glad that their lead singer was in a better mood.

Shuichi was livid. "I don't know if this is how you people act in America, but you're in Japan now! You don't take things that aren't yours!"

"Well, they were just _sitting _there," the girl responded with a smirk.

"Are all Americans as rude as you?"

"You kidding? People's lunches got stolen at my school all time. You learn to watch your stuff!"

Shuichi just stared at the girl, both amazed and appalled by her complete lack of maturity.

"This isn't a school, Miss Eto," Sakano informed her sternly. "This is a place of business. Stealing another employee's lunch is entirely inappropriate and inexcusable."

"I didn't take his lunch, I took a bag of cookies. It's no big deal."

"Yes, it IS!" Shuichi yelled, before Sakano could respond. "My sister made them for me and you STOLE them! How would you like me to take something your brother made for you?"

Before Lola could ask how in the world he knew she _had _a brother, Tohma stepped out of his office and asked why everyone was shouting in front of his door.

"Because she's a thief!" Shuichi yelled, pointing at Lola.

Tohma gave Sakano a puzzled look, and after receiving an explanation from his subordinate the CEO turned to Lola. "Miss Eto, we agreed that your band would be given more time to promote its debut album provided that there would be no more infractions on your part and that you would stay away from Shuichi Shindo."

"Yes, but-"

"This is an inexcusable breach of conduct for an employee of N-G Productions."

"But-"

"Miss Eto, you're fired."

Shuichi's mouth fell open and he actually dropped his crutches. There WAS justice in the world! The idea of never having to see Lola's face again when he entered N-G made him want to dance and sing and... write. He felt the fleeting inspiration the wretched girl had drained out of him returning full force.

Lola burst into tears. She turned to run away, but her dramatic exit was cut short when she tripped over one of Shuichi's crutches and fell flat on her face.

. . .

Meanwhile, back at the apartment, Eiri was certainly NOT experiencing the sheer joy his partner was feeling. In fact, as far as he was concerned life couldn't _get_ any worse. He stared hard at the computer, trying to make sense of the last three paragraphs he'd written. He couldn't, but he noticed that he'd used the word "cigarette" at least five times. Trying to work without inspiration was hard enough, but working without smoking was a nightmare. He'd already taken three smoke breaks in the last hour and he was still on the first chapter. Hell, he was still on the first PAGE. He had no plot, or even an idea for a storyline; he was just typing randomly hoping an idea would spring up. He read through the whole thing again, suddenly realizing that he'd named the main character "Nicotine". He growled and erased the whole thing.

What the hell am I DOING? I need a cigarette...

Not being able to smoke in his own house was frustrating as hell. Usually he kept an ashtray by the computer where he chain-smoked his way through the day as he cranked out the romance and tragedy that kept his readers happy and his wallet full. The ashtray was still there, but with no ashes or butts in it it looked (to him) sad and neglected. He could almost hear it crying "Feed me, feed me!"

_I'm losing my mind..._

Without a steady flow of Nicotine running through his system he felt... _were _there any words to describe how he felt?

Drained.

Frustrated.

Stupid.

Edgy. Very, _very _edgy.

Ready to kill anyone foolish enough to approach him at the moment.

"YUKI!"

Speaking of foolish... "Go away!" the writer shouted.

Never one to listen, Shuichi walked right in, smiling like the idiot he was. "I'm home! You won't BELIEVE the day I had! I figured you would be hard at work so I asked K to drop me off so you wouldn't have to pick me up. He drives like CRAZY! He almost hit a guardrail today and I swear I could see my life flashing before my eyes! Then he almost hit this old woman who was crossing the street and-"

"Get OUT!"

Shuichi stopped in his tracks. "Are you still having trouble writing? Maybe I could help y-"

"HELP? You're the fucking problem!" With that the blond swiped his ashtray off the desk and threw it at the singer. Shuichi ducked quickly and the object went crashing against the wall. Eiri grabbed his laptop next and sent it hurling across the room, followed by his coffee mug and _Four Gay Elves_. When he had nothing else to throw he got up and threw the chair he'd been sitting in, overturned his desk, and headed to the nearest bookcase and started throwing the books off the shelves. He had stopping aiming at his partner (who was still standing frozen in his original position afraid to move) after throwing the ashtray; he just wanted to throw things in general. Trash the fucking room, trash the whole damn apartment if he had to, but he had to vent or he was going to lose it. If he hadn't lost it already, that is.

A short time later the author's study was in shambles, and he sat on the floor amidst the ruin with his head in his hands. Shuichi gingerly approached him, kneeling carefully in front of the man he loved and threading his hands through his lover's golden hair.

"Yuki?" he said softly, afraid he might set the older man off again.

The author said nothing, but he slowly leaned forward until he was resting his head against the pink-haired man's chest. Shuichi wrapped his arms around him and began rubbing his back soothingly.

"I've wanted to do that for a long time..." Eiri said finally.

"Since you lost your inspiration?" Shuichi asked.

"No," Eiri whispered, closing his eyes. "For about... eight years."

_Since you were sixteen..._

Shuichi mentally noted. Out loud he asked, "Why didn't you?"

"I don't know."

"Maybe it was good that you finally got it out of your system."

"I just cleaned this room yesterday..." He grabbed _Four Gay Elves_ off the floor and, after staring at it for a few seconds, started beating it against the wall. It was all the book's fault! He had no idea how he could POSSIBLY blame this situation on _Four Gay Elves_, but he just KNEW it was all the book's fault! He continued on his rampage until Shuichi pried it out of his hands.

"Calm down, okay?" he pleaded. "I've got an idea. Let's go to dinner like we planned and while we're in town we can get rid of THIS."

**"IT CAN'T BE DONE!"**

"We'll drop it in the library donation box like we were going to do before. That way it _can't _come back!" Regardless of the somewhat frightening situation he'd come home too, the singer was still feeling optimistic from the previous events of the day. If Lola Eto could be gotten rid of then the book that plagued Yuki could be gotten rid of, too!

After a moment of silence Eiri rose and helped Shuichi to his feet. He surveyed the damage the room and fought the urge to beat his head against the wall. Now it would have to be cleaned all over again. He definitely needed to get out here. "Fine. Let's go."

.

_End chapter twenty-nine_


	30. Chapter 30 Housing Issues

**Fleeting Inspiration**  
by Anna Sartin

. . .

**Chapter Thirty:** Housing Issues

.

The next day Eiri woke up to the feeling of Shuichi stroking his hair lovingly. He quickly put a stop to the boy's petting and sat up, looking around the room suspiciously. "Is it really gone?" he asked.

"It's gone, Love," Shuichi whispered, smiling reassuringly. There was certainly no need to ask what his lover was referring to, the blond had asked him this same question repeatedly yesterday after dropping _Four Gay Elves_ in the library donation box.

The author closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Good." He was still waiting for the book to fly through the window, or drop through the ceiling, or crawl out from under his bed. He slid his hand underneath his pillow. Nope, not there either.

"You don't believe me?" Shuichi asked, pouting.

Eiri checked under Shuichi's pillow next. "Of course I do."

"You do not!"

Eiri grinned and slid his hand in Shuichi's shirt.

"You don't honestly think I'm _hiding_ it, do you?" Shuichi asked.

"Did I say that?" the blond asked, letting his hands slide down Shuichi's chest and slip into the boy's shorts, causing the singer to gasp. Eiri smirked as his partner's face turned red. Well, he had certainly found _something_.

"S-so w-what do you want for breakfast?" Shuichi asked.

"You."

"And after that?"

"Mmm... after that I've got to give you your medicine."

Shuichi's blush deepened. One of his prescriptions was a medicated gel that he breathed in while someone massaged it into his chest. Feeling Yuki's hands caress him lovingly while making it easier for him to breathe gave him the illusion that the blond was somehow his own personal savior. And he loved it. The whole experience was sensual and sexual and emotional all at the same time, and it gave him a serious hard-on. He'd almost been late to work yesterday after getting a desperately needed blowjob afterwards. He wondered if it would be different today since they were obviously going to have sex first this time.

"And after _that?_" Shuichi asked.

"I don't want to think that far ahead," Eiri responded, releasing Shuichi's manhood and moving up to stroke his hair. "Now that the book is gone I just want to celebrate and enjoy the moment."

Shuichi laid his head on the other man's chest. "Me too. I'm SO glad I'm finally finished with those lyrics! I can't believe that Seguchi-san gave me three weeks off to spend with Yuki!"

"He gave you three weeks off to _recuperate_."

"Same thing!" The pink-haired singer raised his head and kissed the blond's lips. "I love you, Eiri."

"Really?" the blond asked. "How much?"

Shuichi straddled his lover and spread his arms out as far as they could go.

Eiri laughed at the childish gesture. "That much, huh?"

"More! More than anything else in the whole world!"

Eiri pulled him down for a kiss. "Prove it."

Shuichi grinned mischievously. He was up to the challenge.

. . .

Sometime later, as Eiri sat on the bed massaging medicated gel into his completely sated and half-asleep lover's chest, the phone rang.

"You gonna get that?" Shuichi asked sleepily.

"No. Go to sleep."

Shuichi closed his eyes and smiled. He was so tired from their love making that the smell of the medicated vapors and Eiri's gentle massage was lulling him to sleep. This was _very_ different from when Eiri administered his medication yesterday morning, and yet still absolutely wonderful. As far as he was concerned at the moment, life was perfect.

The phone continued to ring for another five minutes until Eiri picked it up simply because he was tired of listening to it. He immediately regretted it, as his gel-covered hands greased the receiver and made it hard for him to hold onto.

"I got in! I got into Tokyo University!"

Of _course_ it had to be Tatsuha. "So I heard. Shuichi told me that Sakuma had to wear two dog collars on his neck yesterday during his photo shoot to hide the results of your "celebration". Did that idiot actually drive to Kyoto to see you?"

"No, I rode back with Aneki and spent the night at her place. Aren't you HAPPY for me?"

"Whatever. What you do is your business."

"Aniki!"

"Yes, I'm happy for you. I'm sure you and that idiot will be happy together."

"Well, I've been meaning to talk to you about that..." An awkward silence hung between them for a few seconds, and when Eiri didn't say anything Tatsuha continued. "See, I'm going to need someplace to live..."

"NO!" Eiri shouted, mentally berating himself for being so slow on the uptake. "You are NOT living here!"

"Please? It's just for a f-"

Eiri hung up on him and Tatsuha called back again. Eiri picked up the receiver, shouted "NO!" and hung up on him again. There was no WAY he was putting up with his brother on a daily basis. He was annoying, he consumed all his beer and he couldn't keep his hands off of Shuichi. Two months ago Eiri caught the horny little bastard groping the pink-haired fool- correction: HIS pink-haired fool- in his sleep. Besides, Tatsuha smoked and Eiri couldn't trust him to obey the new rules of the house. The phone rang again.

"I said no!" He hung up the phone and disconnected the cord.

. . .

Several hours later, after Eiri and Shuichi had enjoyed a hot bath and breakfast together and were just preparing to tackle the disaster that was now the writer's study, Tatsuha was at the door.

"No!" Eiri shouted, preparing to shut the door in his brother's face.

"IT'S JUST FOR A WEEK OR TWO!" Tatsuha pleaded, sticking his foot in the door. "Ryuichi-sama is going out of town and-"

"Stay with Mika then!"

"She already said no!"

"So did I!" He kicked Tatsuha's foot out of the way and slammed the door.

"Aniki, PLEASE!"

"No!"

"What's all the yelling for?" Shuichi asked, coming out of the bathroom. "Is Seguchi at the door?"

"No, Tatsuha. Don't let him in!"

"Anikiiiiii!" the young monk wailed from the other side of the door. "I'll freeze to death!"

Eiri rolled his eyes. It's APRIL, you idiot, and you're standing in the heated hallway of an apartment complex. Go away!"

"I'll burn up then! Do you want your little brother to die from the heat? Let me in!"

Eiri didn't bother to dignify such stupidity with a response. He headed for the study.

"Are you going to just leave him out there?" Shuichi asked. "The neighbors are going to complain."

"He'll remember that he has a key eventually," Eiri responded. "Hanging around Sakuma has DEFINATELY infected him with stupid!"

The study didn't look any better than it had yesterday. It was a complete wreck and Eiri again found himself fighting the urge to bang his head against the wall when they entered it. He was thankful that he hadn't taken his frustration out on the air purifier, at least. He didn't want to have go into town and buy another one. He wondered if his laptop still worked after being thrown against the wall.

"Maybe we should call a professional cleaner," Shuichi suggested as he picked the laptop up.

"Maybe we should buy a new place to _live_," was Eiri's unenthusiastic response.

Shuichi laughed. "You mean like a house with a dog and 2.5 kids?"

Eiri gave him a _look_ as he turned the toppled desk chair upright, then moved to do the same to the desk. "I can do without the dog and brats," he replied, although they did have Riku staying with them off and on. He floated back and forth between them and his "Aunt" Yoshiki in America. "But maybe a new house isn't such a bad idea."

"You _serious?_"

"Why not? The press knows where we live, my siblings have keys to just walk in whenever they want, and no matter how much I clean this place it still smells like cigarettes. You've got three weeks off and I can't write worth a shit right now anyway, so why don't we take the opportunity to move?"

Before Shuichi could say anything Tatsuha barged in the room. "Eiri, come ON! It's just for a week!"

"I see you finally remembered your key. The answer is still no."

"Aniki!"

"Shuichi and I are going out, so go away."

"We are?" Shuichi asked as he hobbled out of the room after his boyfriend. "Where are we going?"

"To look for a house."

.

_End chapter thirty_


	31. Chapter 31 A Hostage Situation

**Fleeting Inspiration**  
by Anna Sartin

. . .

**Chapter Thirty-one:** A Hostage Situation

.

When they got back from seeing Eiri's real estate agent, they found Tatsuha camped out in front of the apartment door.

Literally.

He'd pitched a tent in the hallway and was sitting in front of it with a determined look on his face. Eiri had tossed him out and taken away his key before they left.

"I'm not leaving!" the young monk declared fiercely.

Eiri ignored him as he and Shuichi entered the apartment, closing the door behind them. To his surprise his brother didn't yell, whine or beat on the door. _He must be up to something..._

"All of the houses she showed us were nice," Shuichi said, settling down on the couch. "Do you think we can see what they look like on the inside?"

"Of course," Eiri replied, handing him the stack of flyers, brochures and catalogs they'd been given. "All we have to do is decide which ones we're interested it and she'll set up times for us to view them." He pulled his cigarettes out of his pocket and took one out of the box, then fished through his other pocket for the lighter.

"Do you think we'll be moved into our new house by next week?" Shuichi asked.

"Of course not. Getting a new house takes time, and we haven't even picked one out yet. Moron."

"Well, whenever you moved before it was always super-fast!"

"I'm not looking for a place to rent this time," Eiri replied. "Buying a house takes longer." He finally found his lighter, but before he could light his precious cancer-stick he remembered that he could no longer smoke in the house, or in front of Shuichi. He cursed inwardly and shoved both the cigarette and lighter back in his pocket.

"Oh Eiriiiii!" Tatsuha sang from out in the hallway. "Didn't you forget something?"

"Go away!" Eiri shouted, not in the mood for his brother's antics.

"You don't want your mail?"

"Oh, that's right!" Shuichi said, setting the catalog he was looking at down and getting up. "We forgot to get it on our way in!"

Eiri stormed out, determined not to fall for whatever trap his brother had set for him. Shuichi followed on his crutches. "Give me my mail!" Eiri demanded, extending his hand.

"Oh no you don't!" Tatsuha responded quickly, guarding the tent that currently housed his brother's (and Shuichi's) mail. "You don't get your mail until you agree to let me stay!"

"Not a chance in hell!" The blond reached in the tent to retrieve his property when he met with an unexpected obstacle. "**OW!**"

Shuichi rushed to his aid. "Yuki, are you all right? What happened?"

"Something bit me!" He held up his injured finger in evidence.

"Ha! I see you've met with my secret weapon!"

"Secret weapon? What the hell do you have in there?" Eiri asked, sticking his finger in his mouth.

Shuichi took a peek inside the tent. "All I see is mail... OW!" He withdrew his hand quickly.

"I've secured a fierce guardian to help guard the hostages!"

"You call a package and few envelopes _hostages?_"

"So what do you say Eiri?" Tatsuha asked. "Do we have a deal? I'll give back your mail if you'll let me stay for a week!"

"Mew!" the tent replied, before Eiri could answer.

Tatsuha glared at it. "Quiet, you! I'm negotiating!"

A small gray kitten poked its head out and looked around.

"How CUTE!" Shuichi squealed, rushed over to pet it. It bit his hand. "OUCH!"

Eiri tried to grab the ferocious feline, but it bit his thumb and the author actually yelped. Not about to be bested by a measly furball, he picked the kitten up and tossed it aside. He was about to grab the pile of mail when he noticed the kitten running into his apartment.

"God damn it! Get out of there!" He darted in after the cat, his mail forgotten.

. . .

"Aw, come on!" Tatsuha pleaded a short time later, clawing at the door. "Give me back Mr. Fuzzy!"

Eiri and Shuichi exchanged glances. "_Mr. Fuzzy?_"

"Ryuichi will cry if I lose him!"

Eiri glared at the front door as if he could see his brother on the other side. "So you kidnapped your lover's cat to hold my mail hostage?"

"I didn't kidnap him, I'm cat-sitting! Give him back!"

"Give me my mail."

"I'll give you the mail if you let me in!"

"You'll give me my mail or I'm throwing the cat out the window."

"No!" Tatsuha yanked the doorknob, quite certain that his brother had already captured the poor little furball and was dangling him out the window by his tail. He couldn't let Mr. Fuzzy get killed! Ryuichi would never forgive him!

In reality "Mr. Fuzzy" was sitting quite comfortably on the coffee table enjoying a can of tuna that Eiri had opened for him. The irritable blond actually had a soft spot for cats, but only Shuichi and Mika (and quite possibly Seguchi, who seemed to know everything about everyone) were aware of this fact. In his last apartment complex there was a friendly stray that Eiri had been especially fond of that he'd called "Mr. Meow". The longer he lived at the place the fatter the cat got, due to the fact that half the people in the building (including Eiri) bought food for him. Watching Mr. Fuzzy wolf down the food in front of him made Eiri wonder what Mr. Meow was doing these days. Still charming everyone into feeding him, no doubt. He watched the kitten in front of him lick its tiny paws for a few seconds, before glaring at the door again.

"Ten seconds, Tatsuha, or it's bye-bye Mr. Furry..."

"It's Mr. FUZZY!"

"10... 9... 8... 7..."

"You WOULDN'T!"

A loud banging noise started up. Tatsuha was now trying to kick the door in.

"6... 5... 4... 3..."

"All right! Fine! I'll give you the damn mail! Just give Mr. Fuzzy back!"

Eiri smirked triumphantly and went to open the door. "Come and get him."

Tatsuha rushed to the kitten's "rescue" while his brother went and got his mail out of the tent. When he re-entered the apartment Eiri found his brother nursing a sore finger. "Bit you, did he?"

"That cat is MEAN!"

"No shit."

Shuichi handed Tatsuha the box of bandages he and Eiri had been using a few minutes earlier. Tatsuha thanked him and sat down on the couch. "Look Aniki, I really need a place to stay."

"And that became my problem _when?_"

"Please? I'll do all the cooking and cleaning, and I'll even run all your errands for you!"

Eiri closed his eyes. As much as he hated to admit it, he could use the help. He had a lot to do and Shuichi was basically useless on crutches. "Fine. But there are ground rules."

"Ground rules?"

"Yes. One, absolutely no smoking in the house. Two-"

"No smoking? Why not?"

"Shut up. Two, keep your hands off Shuichi. I catch you fondling him in his sleep again I'll beat the shit out of you. Understand?"

"All right, all right!"

"He fondled me in my sleep?" Shuichi asked, confused. "How come I don't remember that?"

"Because you were _asleep_, dumbass," Eiri responded, before turning back to his brother. "Three, don't let the cat tear anything up. If he makes a mess, clean it up. Four, leave me the hell alone. Here." He handed Tatsuha the rental copy of _Dawn of the Dead _that he still hadn't returned.

"What's this?" Tatsuha asked.

"You can return it to the video store while you're out."

"Out? Where am I going?"

"To the grocery store. You said you'd run errands. We need milk and bread and the cat will need food. Get something for dinner, too."

"Can I take one of your cars?"

"Hell no!"

"But my bike is still in the shop!"

"Then _walk_!"

Tatsuha trudged out, grumbling to himself. _What the hell possessed me to volunteer to become the family maid? Eiri didn't give me any money and I don't even know where the grocery store is!_

Meanwhile Eiri picked up Mr. Fuzzy (who bit him in return) and set him down in his lap. "You remind me of someone," Eiri informed the tiny, yellow-eyed feline. The kitten meowed is response, then started to purr.

"Hey Yuki, what would you have done if Tatsuha _hadn't _given up in ten seconds?"

"Made him think I threw the cat out the window and gone out to get the mail while he ran outside to check."

Shuichi laughed and reached over to pet the now purring kitten... "**OUCH!**" ...and got bitten again. "He's a mean little thing, isn't he?"

Eiri snickered. _Mean and fickle... he's just like me._

.

_End chapter thirty-one_


	32. Chapter 32 A Carpet Named Jesus

**Fleeting Inspiration**  
by Anna Sartin

. . .

**Chapter Thirty-two:** A Carpet Named Jesus

.

"Hey Yuki?" Shuichi asked, examining the package his lover had just rescued from Tatsuha's tent.

"What?" Eiri asked. He was currently engaged in a stare down with Mr. Fuzzy.

"Are you a member of the Mamoru Eto Fan Club?"

Eiri looked up at the singer. Before the whole business with _Four Gay Elves _started up he'd been an avid fan of Eto's writing. There were several fan clubs out there dedicated to the author and his work and Eiri had joined them all back when he was still a teenager. "Yes..." he answered slowly. "Why?"

"You got a package from _The Official Mamoru Eto Fan Club_. It says you won something." He handed Eiri the package, and the blond examined it carefully. On the front it said:

_"Congratulations member 99166, Eiri Uesugi! You've won our monthly giveaway!"_

Eiri had many options at this point and he considered them each carefully. He could:

1) throw the box in the trash and forget he ever saw it,  
2) send it back unopened along with a request to unsubscribe him from the club, or  
3) simply throw it out the window and hope no bald-headed monks (or anyone else for that matter) were passing by this time.

He could have done any of those things and been better off, but in the end curiosity got the better of him. In all the years he'd been a member of Eto's various fan clubs he'd never _won_ anything. He slowly opened the box while Shuichi watched, equally curious about its contents. The author's heart nearly stopped beating and Shuichi's eyes widened in disbelief. _It can't be..._

It was a brand-new copy of _Four Gay Elves_.

. . .

Tatsuha, meanwhile, had been having troubles of his own. Returning _Dawn of the Dead _had been easy enough; he'd been to the video store plenty of times with Ryuichi. Finding a grocery store, however, was proving to be quite a challenge. He knew where several little corner stores were that sold cigarettes, booze and basic food items, but none of them sold any cat food. Ryuichi, being in a hurry to join Tohma and Noriko on their trip to goodness-knows-where, had neglected to give him any. It was a wonder the absent-minded popstar remembered to give him the kitten's litter box. Unfortunately it was still in the tent outside Eiri's front door. He prayed Mr. Fuzzy didn't have any accidents before he got back, otherwise his brother might make good on his threat to throw him out the window.

He wandered aimlessly around for a while hoping to chance upon a grocery store until he found a man walking a dog who, upon questioning, told him the nearest was only three blocks away on the corner of 4th and Cherry Street. By this time his feet were killing him and all he wanted was to get what he needed so he could go home.

When he turned on 4th Street he suddenly got an ominous feeling. 4th street... he'd been here before! This is where he and Ryuichi had run into... "You!" a female voice shouted in English, blocking his path.

_Damn it! _He took off running and the homeless woman immediately gave chase.

"Hey! Come back here!" she yelled. "I've got to tell you about Jesus!"

. . .

Needless to say he didn't come home with any food. Instead, he returned with a large rolled-up carpet.

"What's that?" Shuichi asked.

"Jesus," Tatsuha answered glumly, dumping the rug on the floor.

"Jesus? The cross-tian guy?"

"None other."

"Jesus was a _carpet?_" Shuichi asked, looking very, very confused. He imagined a group of people nailing a carpet to a cross.

"That's what she seemed to think," Tatsuha said, taking a seat on the couch. "Supposedly God is a lawn chair." Shuichi just stared at him like he'd lost his mind. The young monk shook his head. "Don't ask. Where's Aniki?"

"He locked himself in his room and won't come out."

"Oh? How come?"

Shuichi held up Eiri's new copy of _Four Gay Elves_.

Tatsuha's mouth dropped open. "I gave that to Ryuichi!"

"Who gave it to Seguchi-san, who gave it to Mika-san, who gave it back to Yuki. Then we donated it to the library and Yuki got a new copy in the mail!"

"It really IS stalking him..."

Shuichi set his crutches against the wall and knelt down so he could unroll the carpet. "I take it you ran into the lady on 4th Street again?"

"Yup. Somebody stole her "restaurant tables" for _"The Daily Bread" _so now she's filled that alley of hers with old carpets. She said that this one is Jesus."

"What are you going to do with it?"

"I don't know. She wouldn't let me go until I agreed to take the stupid thing. Where's Mr. Fuzzy?"

"With Yuki. They've been locked in his room for over an hour."

Tatsuha flinched. Hopefully his brother wasn't doing anything TOO unpleasant to the poor kitten, even if it WAS the meanest cat he'd ever seen. _Come to think of it, he reminds me of someone..._

"Why didn't you dump the rug in an alley somewhere?" Shuichi wanted to know.

"I tried. The police caught me and accused me of "unlawful dumping". I talked my way out of getting fined, but there was no way I could risk putting it down a second time. The cop followed me all the way home! He could have at least offered me a ride..."

"Hand me that book, would you?" Shuichi asked, pointing to where _Four Gay Elves _was sitting on the coffee table. Tatsuha handed him the book and the singer proceeded to roll the carpet up again with the book inside it. "There. Now we just have to find some way to get rid of it!"

. . .

Eiri, meanwhile, was laying on his bed with Mr. Fuzzy on his stomach, wondering what he'd done to deserve the crappy hand life seemed to be dealing him lately. The fact that the Book From Hell had appeared yet again to darken his doorstep wasn't exactly surprising- in fact on some level he'd actually gotten **used** to being stalked an inanimate object- but getting a brand-new copy of it from a fan club he'd joined over six years ago had thrown him for a loop. Maybe it _wasn't _the book that was the problem.

"Maybe it's **me**," he said to himself as he stared at the ceiling. _Maybe I'm cursed._

He'd briefly considered burning the book in the next room, but soon realized that doing so would be pointless. Even if he managed to destroy it he'd just wind up with a new copy to replace it!

The kitten mewed for attention, but when he moved to pet the little furball it bit his finger and jumped off the bed. He closed his eyes and sighed. _What's taking Tatsuha so long? I'm hungry..._

As if on cue he heard the voices of his brother and his lover. They were talking about... Jesus? Eiri sat up and shook his head. _Whatever... _He got up to unlocked the door when an unpleasant smell suddenly hit him. His eyes scanned the room for Mr. Fuzzy.

"Where are you, you damn cat?" The kitten mewed from under his bed. He got down on the floor to look for him and when he poked his nose under the bed the smell got stronger. "Shit!"

. . .

__  
"Tatsuha!"

"Hey, Aniki," Tatsuha greeted his sibling, who'd just come out of the bedroom with Mr. Fuzzy perched on his shoulder. "What's up?"

"The cat shit in my room. Clean it up."

"You could at least welcome me home before you start complaining!"

Eiri grunted. "It took you long enough. I hope you brought something decent to eat, I'm starving."

"Is that how you greet people when they get home?" Tatsuha asked, annoyed. "It's a wonder Shindo bothers coming home to you at all!"

"What's for dinner?" Eiri asked, ignoring his younger brother's annoyance. He was secretly proud of his ability to get him all riled up. He intended to spend the next seven days getting back at the little shit for blackmailing him.

"There isn't any, unless you want boiled carpet for supper."

Eiri looked down at the rug and back up at his brother. "I send you out to get food and you bring back a _carpet? _What are you, a retard?"

"The crazy homeless lady made him take it," Shuichi explained, getting up off the floor.

"Well, get it out of here," Eiri ordered, before heading for the kitchen with Mr. Fuzzy still in tow. "And clean up the mess Mr. Fluffy made in my room."

"IT'S MR. FUZZY!"

Tatsuha watched Shuichi follow his grumpy boyfriend out of the room, feeling highly aggravated and grossly under appreciated. He'd done all that walking and THIS was the thanks he got! And what the hell did they expect him to do with this stupid carpet when the cops could be watching the place?

"Stupid Aniki," he grumbled, picking "Jesus" up again. "What the hell does he want from me, anyway?" He grabbed the keys out of his brother's coat pocket and headed out the door again.

.

_End chapter thirty-two_


	33. More Troubles for the Uesugi Brothers

**Fleeting Inspiration**  
by Anna Sartin

. . .

**Chapter Thirty-three:** More Troubles for the Uesugi Brothers

.

After getting rid of "Jesus" Tatsuha took his brother's SAAB Cabriolet to the store to go shopping. His feet were aching and he decided that risking Eiri's wrath was better than more walking, especially considering he'd have to lug groceries home. His brother seemed to prefer the Mercedes and Tatsuha figured it would be safer to take the car that his brother was least likely to miss. Which was lucky for him, because he thought the Cabriolet looked much cooler.

Before getting his motorcycle the teenager had had fantasies of driving the car around Japan. No responsibilities, no annoying family members and if he was feeling lonely he could impress the chicks with "his" car and take a few of them along for the ride. The main drive behind the fantasy was the freedom it represented. The simple fact was that life at his father's temple was boring as hell. He'd always looked forward to funerals and other jobs that took him away from home, and now that he'd been accepted to Tokyo University he planned to stay out of Kyoto for as long as possible. All he needed to do was get his bike back and he'd be set for the next few years. Well, after he found a place to live, that is.

He took the Cabriolet again the next day when Eiri sent him to the dry cleaner's. "Why should **_I_** walk three and a half miles just to drop off somebody else's stupid clothes?" he asked himself as he cruised down the road with a cigarette between his lips. His brother had gone house-hunting with Shuichi and had threatened to toss him out on his ass if he smelled cigarette smoke in his apartment when he got back. Tatsuha had swiped the spare keys after they'd gone and was still debating rather or not to put them back when he got home. Finally he decided against it. _I'll hang on to them. He won't notice they're gone._

. . .

When Tatsuha got back from the bakery the next morning he found his brother standing outside the apartment building talking to a pair of cops. _What the hell...?_

Eiri caught sight of his sibling and his face contorted into an expression of pure rage. "Why the hell did you take my car without asking!" he shouted.

"So I wouldn't have to walk?" Tatsuha offered, wondering what the hell was going on. His brother looked like he was about to commit fratricide.

"Is this the stolen car, sir?" one of the cops asked.

Tatsuha's eyes bugged out of his head. "STOLEN?"

"Yes, this is the car," Eiri told them, before turning to his brother. "How the hell did you drive my car without the... keys..." Eiri stared at the keys in the ignition, then smacked himself in the forehead. The spare keys. He's forgotten all about the spare keys.

"I used the spare set I found in your de-"

"Give me the fucking keys!" Eiri demanded. Tatsuha quickly handed them over. "AND the key to the apartment!" Again Tatsuha obeyed, deciding that arguing with his brother at this point would be suicidal. "I called the POLICE because I thought somebody stole my car!"

Five minutes later the police were gone, annoyed at having their coffee break interrupted for nothing. Ten minutes later Tatsuha's feet were tired from running around the parking lot to avoid being beaten black and blue. Fifteen minutes later Eiri had flung all of his brother's belongings out the door and sped off, leaving a pleading Tatsuha in the dust. Sighing, the young monk went back up to the apartment and knocked on the door.

"Shindo-san? Shuichi? Let me in."

"Sorry, but Yuki said he'd kill me if I did. His medicine ran out this morning and he's kind of scary, you know? You made him late for his appointment with his psychiatrist and he REALLY needed to go!"

"You're telling me..." Tatsuha grumbled, gathering his clothes together. He then started putting up his tent. It was going to be a long day.

. . .

By the time Eiri got to the hospital he was forty minutes late for his appointment, leaving him only twenty minutes to tell the doctor the whole crazy story of The Book That Would Not Die and warped chain of events that had taken place over the past two and a half weeks. He then stared at her like a child waiting for his mother to present him with a simple, logical solution to his problem.

Instead of getting the sage advice he longed for, however, he was given a short, lame lecture about meeting the world half-way. "Are you fucking with me!" he shouted. This woman was supposed to be one of the best in the business! He didn't pay her to dish out stupid cliches!

"You need to stop reacting every time you see Eto-san or his book. The way you react to the situation, along with your aggravation with the book's content and its author, causes you to overreact and add to your stress."

"How can I NOT overreact when I've got _book _stalking me?"

"Our time is up for today," she responded, handing him a copy of his usual prescriptions.

"But I just GOT here!"

"You got here twenty minutes ago, and you arrived forty minutes late. I have another patient scheduled. Next time be punctual if you want to get the most out of our sessions." And with that she ushered him out the door.

"Shall I schedule you for the same time next week?" the receptionist asked when he reentered the lobby, grumbling about how psychiatrists were all just a bunch of quacks.

"No!" Eiri snapped, before pulling himself together. No matter how pissed off he was at her at the moment he knew he desperately needed to go back. He felt like his sanity was hanging by a few thin threads with _Four Gay Elves_ at the other end jerking at his strings. It was Friday and he hadn't seen the book since Wednesday, which meant it was bound to make an appearance sometime soon. He and Shuichi had looked at several houses together yesterday but he hadn't been able to fully concentrate with the threat of the book's return looming overhead. Every house they went into he found himself waiting for _Four Gay Elves_to pop out of every closet and cabinet. "When is earliest appointment available?" he asked.

"We just had a cancellation for Monday at 9:00. Would that be convenient for you, Uesugi-san?"

"Fine." He hated getting up early and he hated fighting rush hour traffic even more, but he needed somebody to help him or he was going to go completely nuts. Besides, it was better that he vent to his therapist than take his frustrations out on Shuichi. The singer was often his most convenient target when he needed a verbal punching bag, but his lover had enough problems at the moment without him adding to them. Mika was calling every day now to "check up on him" and her mothering only made things worse. Under normal circumstances he might have used her in place of Shuichi to vent but he couldn't bring himself to shout at his pregnant sister. Difficult pregnancies ran in his family, and being married to Tohma had to be enough stress for ANYBODY to deal with. He couldn't wish for his brother-in-law to hurry up and get home either, because instead of getting Mika off his back the pair would team up and annoy him together. _I hate my life..._

He went down to the hospital pharmacy to fill his prescriptions, only to find Mamoru Eto sitting in the waiting area. He backed up quickly before the old man spotted him. _Not again! What the hell is he doing here NOW?_

He knew he needed to take the psychiatrist's advice to heart and stop reacting every time he saw Eto or his book, but the whole situation was just so... _exasperating_. Still, he paid a fortune for the doctor's advice so he figured he might as well follow it. He turned around and headed in the opposite direction, clutching the prescriptions she had written for him. _Fuck this place and fuck HIM. I'll get them filled somewhere else._

After doing just that at a nearby drugstore, the author stopped off at the bakery down the street. He figured it was a safe bet that his brother had eaten all the shortcakes he'd sent him out to buy. _I should have taken the bag away from him before I threw him out! _Shortcakes always put him in a good mood and he needed a stress-reliever. Besides, Shuichi had been fretting over his lack of appetite lately, which meant he wouldn't have to listen to him nag about how many he ate this time. He bought all that the store had left and headed home.

. . .

"Uesugi-san!" a shrill voice called out to him as he parked his car in front of the apartment building. The voice belonged to a short, round woman with several stray beard hairs growing on her chin. "Can I see you in my office please?" It was the landlord's wife.

What does SHE want?

Eiri wondered, getting out of his car. He'd paid his rent for the entire year back in January and he'd already reimbursed her for the window K destroyed a few months ago, so she couldn't possibly want more money. Maybe the neighbors were complaining about the noise level again. "What is it?" he asked as he followed her inside.

"I would think you'd be the last of our tenants I would need to reprimand for this, and quite frankly I'm disappointed in you. You should know better than to dump your garbage in the building!"

"What are you talking about?" he asked.

She opened the door to the office she and her husband used and pointed to the rolled-up carpet laying on the floor. "My husband found this stuffed in the utility closet on the second floor!"

"What makes you think it's mine?" Eiri asked, feeling the urge to sock his brother. _He's even more troublesome than Shuichi!_

"Because when he picked it up your book fell out of it!" She held up _Four Gay Elves_.

"And what makes you think that piece of shit is mine?" he asked, wondering if there was some way he could get out of taking the thing back.

"Because of _this_," she responded, pulling a slip of paper out of the book and handing it to him. It began with "_Congratulations Eiri Uesugi!" _and ended with _"We hope you enjoy "Four Gay Elves"! _He was stuck and he knew it.

_Damn it!_

. . .

"Aniki, please let me in!" Tatsuha pleaded when Eiri got out of the elevator, carrying his medicine, two bags of shortcakes and _Four Gay Elves _in one hand and "Jesus" on his shoulder.

"Hell no. Keeping you is more trouble than it's worth." He dropped the carpet on his brother's his tent and dug in his pocket for his keys. Tatsuha ran in ahead of him when he unlocked the door.

"Get out!" Eiri ordered, making a beeline for the living room. Tatsuha followed him.

"Please, Aniki! I'm sorry about the car! I won't take it without asking again, I-"

"Shut up and go away," Eiri interrupted, dumping his bags on the coffee table. "Living with one idiot is more than enough, I don't need to deal with two."

"Please! I didn't mean for-"

"Get out and take this damn book with you!" Eiri shouted, throwing the book at his brother. Tatsuha ducked out of the way and a loud crash echoed through the apartment as the book hit the window. Both men froze. _Oh shit..._

"What's going on?" Shuichi asked, hobbling in from the kitchen. "I thought I heard something break..."

. . .

Tatsuha heard the door slam and lock behind him as Eiri (literally) kicked him out the door. He sighed and pulled the carpet off his wrecked tent and began putting it back together. At least Mr. Fuzzy hadn't been thrown out. He loved Ryuichi but his kitten was a pain in the ass to look after. He noticed his brother seemed to like the vicious little furball for some reason. _Maybe because they're both so much alike!_

When he finally got the tent reassembled he crawled inside and laid down, wishing Ryuichi was still in town. He sighed longingly. "How many days ''til my honey comes home...?"

.

_End chapter thirty-three_


	34. Chapter 34 The Bet

**Fleeting Inspiration**  
by Anna Sartin

. . .

**Chapter Thirty-four:** The Bet

.

"Is this okay?" Shuichi asked when he'd finished taping a piece of paper over the hole in the living room window.

"It'll have to do until we can get someone out here to replace it," Eiri responded, sweeping up the broken grass.

"She looks REALLY mad," the younger man commented, pointing out the broken window where the landlord and his wife could be seen glaring up at it from the parking lot.

"She's STILL watching?" Eiri asked.

"Yep, and her husband is out there now, too."

Eiri groaned inwardly. The window had just been replaced three months ago.

"Should I go out and apologize?" Shuichi asked. "I'm sure they're going to want an explanation."

"Just ignore them," Eiri said, dumping the broken glass in the trash can. It was a shame he couldn't blame K for the damage like last time. Both the landlord and his wife were terrified of the insane foreigner. "They'll be up here soon enough, anyway." He took a seat on the couch and reached for a bag of shortcakes. "Besides, you shouldn't have to apologize for something you didn't do."

Shuichi refrained from remarking that he was _constantly _apologizing for his boyfriend's actions. In fact, he apologized to his friends and Eiri's family members almost on a daily basis. He'd already apologized to Tatsuha today for not being able to let him in and he'd probably wind up apologizing to Mika later when Eiri refused to take her call (again). He also found himself apologizing to random people on the street who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. On the their vacation he'd apologized to three members of the hotel staff, the cop that booked them, Mamoru Eto (while security was throwing them out of the bookstore during the old man's book signing) and the half-crazy monk Eiri had the threatened to beat the shit out of over his broken cell phone. He'd lost track of all the people he'd apologized to since meeting the blond and adding one or two more people to the list couldn't possibly make any difference. He sighed and joined his lover on the couch.

"Did the mail come while I was gone?" Eiri asked, taking a bite of the shortcake he was holding.

"Yeah, and you got another package." Shuichi picked up the small box sitting on the coffee table. "Here."

Eiri shoved the rest of the shortcake in his mouth and took the box from the pink-haired man, eying it carefully. It was too small to be _Four Gay Elves_. He picked up the accursed book, which was also sitting on the coffee table, and compared them by weight. _It's also too light..._

"Are you going to open it?" Shuichi asked. "I can do it for you if you're afraid it's a letter bomb or something."

"Why would I think that?" Eiri asked, putting the book down and turning the package over. It was from the phone company.

"Well, maybe Lola Eto is out for revenge! Maybe she wants to kill you to get to me!"

"I don't think Lola Eto works for the phone company," Eiri said, opening the box and pulling out his newly-repaired cell-phone.

Before Shuichi could reply there was a knock at the door. Both men cringed and the singer sighed, "Bet it's the landlord."

"Or Tatsuha trying to worm his way back in," Eiri said, reaching for another shortcake.

"Let's bet on it!"

"Huh?"

"If I'm right and it's the landlord you have to do whatever I want for the rest of the day, and if it's Tatsuha I have to do whatever you want for the rest of the day!"

Eiri's lips curled up in a half-smile. "Fine." His partner was rather cute when he got fired up over such childish ideas, but he was certainly not about to tell him that. _There's no way the landlord could get up here so fast..._ he thought, grinning smugly. He would enjoy turning the cute singer into his obedient little sex-slave for the night. He opened the door and nearly dropped his shortcake. It was the landlord. _Damn it!_

"Uesugi-san, I need to speak with you."

"Terashima-san," Eiri acknowledged, opening the door wider to let him in.

"Uesugi-san, the last time one of your guests broke a window Shindo-san told me you would both try to be more careful. This is the third time this has happened since you've moved here!"

"I'll write a check."

"This isn't just about the window. I've gotten numerous complaints from the other tenants about the noise level today, and why is there a TENT outside your door?"

"Ask my brother," Eiri responded as he wrote the man a check.

"It needs to be removed. It's blocking the hallway and it's a fire hazard."

"Sorry, Terashima-san!" Shuichi apologized. "We'll get it removed right away." Eiri glared at his lover. The singer smiled at him sweetly and said "Yuki, why don't you help Tatsuha move his things inside?"

Eiri's glare intensified. "What!"

Shuichi smiled smugly. "Bet!" His eyes sparkled with mischief, conveying a silent but clear message: _I won Yuki, and you have to do whatever I want!_

Eiri held out the check for the landlord. _As if I didn't have enough problems! _

Terashima took the check from Eiri's extended hand. "And another thing, the utility closets in the building are NOT to be used for dumping unwanted items."

"You can save that lecture for my brother," Eiri told him, giving him a push out the door before he could find something else to complain to them about. He shut it quickly and turned to Shuichi. "You can't be serious!"

"You heard Terashima-san, Tatsuha can't stay out there!"

"Then he can stay somewhere ELSE!"

"Eiri, he's your _brother_," the boy told him, as if he didn't already know. "You were planning on giving him this place when we moved out anyway, right?"

_How the hell did he know that?_

"Besides, I won the bet. Let him in!"

"Fine. But he's YOUR problem, not mine!"

.

"You could have let me in BEFORE that guy torn me a new one!" Tatsuha complained later as he sat on the living room floor going through his pile of stuff. Mr. Fuzzy was asleep nearby on a pile of clothes.

"Just be glad I let you in at all!" Eiri told him as he shoved an entire shortcake in his mouth and reached for another. He was going to need all the sugar he could get to survive a day of dealing with both his brother and having to do whatever Shuichi told him. He was also going to need nicotine. Plenty of nicotine. Having some fresh coffee on hand might not be such a bad idea either. "Make some coffee, would you?" he asked Shuichi as he headed out to the balcony for a smoke.

"Hey, you're supposed to do whatever I want, not the other way around!" Shuichi protested.

"Oh. Right. Tatsuha, go make coffee!"

"Yes, Master," the young monk grumbled sarcastically. The phone started ringing as he trudged off to the kitchen.

"And answer the phone!" Eiri yelled, pulling his cigarettes out of his pocket. He took one in hand and shoved the box back in his pocket. He secured his lighter next, but he didn't get the chance to make use of it.

"Aniki, it's for you!"

"Tell Mika I don't want to hear it!"

"It's somebody from your publishing company!"

Eiri shoved his cigarette and lighter back in his pocket and stepped back inside. _They'd better not be planning to push my deadline forward or they're going to be sorely disappointed._ His creative juices seemed to have dried up for the moment and he was more interested in finding a new house, anyway. _Whatever they want they can go to hell! _he decided as he took the phone from his brother. "Go make coffee," he ordered, pointing in the direction of the kitchen. His sibling made an obscene gesture behind his back before stomping off to comply.

Shuichi hobbled over to his boyfriend, listening as he conversed with whoever was on the phone. He too was hoping (and praying to any divine entity that might be listening) that it please _please _not be Yuki's editor calling to move up his deadline. There would be no living with the author if his stress level increased any further, and more importantly he worried that the added stress would negatively affect the blond's health.

"What?" Eiri asked whoever was on the line, looking completely flabbergasted. "Seguchi's funding it?"

"Aniki, you're out of coffee!" Tatsuha yelled from the kitchen.

"Shut UP!" Eiri roared.

"What's going on?" Shuichi asked, but Eiri motioned for him to be quiet.

"You can't be serious," Eiri said, staring at the painting on the wall as he spoke into the receiver. "THAT idiot?"

"You can't expect me to make coffee when you haven't got any!" Tatsuha said, coming out of the kitchen. Eiri took one of his slippers off his foot and threw it at his brother before turning his attention back to the phone. The youngest Uesugi sibling went over to the couch and sat down, complaining about he couldn't be expected to turn water into wine (or, indeed, coffee) until Eiri threw his other slipper at him to get him to shut up. Mr. Fuzzy attacked the slipper with gusto until he grew bored with it and started biting Tatsuha's foot instead. "OUCH!"

"What's going on?" Shuichi asked again when Eiri finally hung up.

"One of my books is being made into a movie."

"WHAT!" Shuichi exclaimed, dropping one of his crutches. "Yuki, that's incredible!"

"Not really, considering Tohma Seguchi is funding it," Eiri replied, retrieving the fallen crutch and handing it back to him. "The royalties will useful considering how much money it'll cost to buy a decent-sized house in Tokyo, but I can't believe my work is going to be defiled by THAT idiot..."

"That idiot?" Shuichi asked, confused.

"Ryuichi Sakuma is _starring _in it."

.

_End chapter thirty-four_


	35. Shuichi's Plans for the Weekend

**Fleeting Inspiration**  
by Anna Sartin

. . .

**Chapter Thirty-five:** Shuichi's Plans for the Weekend

.

Tatsuha jumped up from his seat. "My honey's gonna be in a movie?"

"He was in one less than six months ago!" Shuichi pointed out, giving the monk a strange look.

"That was an American movie!"

"So...?"

"Foreign movies don't count!"

It was Eiri's turn to roll his eyes. "Whatever. I need a smoke."

"ANIKI!" Tatsuha screeched, latching onto his brother's arm to keep him from leaving. "You have to tell me what's going on!"

"Apparently Tohma's been planning this since Ryuichi got back from America four months ago. He reformed Nittle Grasper (again) specifically for the purpose of making the movie soundtrack."

"Why hasn't Seguchi said anything to you about this?" Shuichi asked.

"I don't know. Maybe he wanted it to be a "surprise" or something. I'll find out more on Tuesday."

"What happens on Tuesday?" Shuichi and Tatsuha both asked at the same time.

"There's going to be a meeting."

"Is Ryuichi going to be there?" Tatsuha asked, bouncing up and down in his seat.

"No! Go make coffee!"

"I'm telling you we don't HAVE any!"

"Then go BUY some!"

"Let me use your car, then."

"No!"

"Let him use the car, Yuki," Shuichi told him.

"Why the hell should I? He's libel to crash it into the N-G building."

"Bet!"

"I am NOT letting him u-"

"BET!" Shuichi said again, raising his voice.

Eiri gave him a _look_. "Fine, but if he wrecks it I'm holding you responsible!"

"But-"

"Um, guys?" Tatsuha asked, staring at a pile of clothes on the floor. "Does your building have a vermin problem?"

"Of course not!" Eiri snapped. "It costs a fortune to live here!"

"Then what is THAT?" Tatsuha asked, pointing to the pile of clothes where something was moving underneath it.

"RAT!" Shuichi shrieked, dropping his crutches and leaping into Yuki's arms.

Tatsuha ran into the kitchen and came back with the broom, ready to bash the lump until it stopped moving. "Don't worry, I'll kill it!"

Eiri just rolled his eyes and reached under the pile of shirts to rescue Mr. Fuzzy before his crazed brother beat the poor creature senseless. He set the kitten on his shoulder and walked out of the room (with Shuichi still firmly attached to his torso) muttering, "Idiots. I'm surrounded by idiots."

. . .

"I'm thirsty," Shuichi whined as he swung his legs back and forth under the kitchen table. Mr. Fuzzy was sitting in front of him lapping up milk from one of Eiri's saucers.

"Well, what do you expect me to do about it?" the author asked, not looking up from the newspaper he was reading.

"Can you get me something to drink?" Shuichi asked hopefully. He didn't want to hop to the fridge on one foot, but the only other alternative he saw was to try stealing the milk from the cat. He quickly dismissed that idea, deciding that the drink wasn't worth losing his fingers.

Eiri sighed and put the newspaper down. "If you hadn't left your crutches in the living room you could get it _yourself_."

"I'm sorry..." the pink-haired man apologized as the blond went to the refrigerator to get a couple cans of beer. An advertisement suddenly caught his eye and he pulled the newspaper closer to read it. "Hey Yuki, look at this! There's going to be a dojinshi convention this weekend!"

Yuki set a can of beer in front of the singer and snatched the paper back. "So?"

"I wanna go!"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because people will recognize us and cause a scene. I'm not in the mood to deal with that shit and you're in no condition to run."

"They won't recognize us if we're in disguise!"

"No."

"Well, I won the bet and I say we're going!"

"I only have to do what you want _today_. The convention starts _tomorrow_."

"Please?"

"No!"

Shuichi crossed his arms and sat still for a minute, looking thoughtful. "I've got it!" he yelled suddenly.

"Will you shut UP?"

"You have to do anything I want today, right?"

"That was the agreement."

"Well, I want you to agree to go to the convention with me tomorrow!"

Eiri opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out.

"And no going back on your word tomorrow, either!" Shuichi added.

"That's cheating!" the older man said finally. "You're using a loophole to extend the agreement!"

"Please Yuki?" Shuichi asked again. "I want to go somewhere fun and you told me once that you always wanted to go to a dojinshi convention..."

Eiri sighed. "Fine, I'll go. Just shut up and let me read the paper."

"Yay! Don't worry Yuki, it'll be so much fun! I'll go work on our costumes!"

With that the singer hopped out of the room on one leg, happy as a lark. Eiri, meanwhile, sat frozen in his seat, wondering what he'd gotten himself into. "_Costumes?_"

.

_End chapter thirty-five_


	36. Chapter 36 Dojinshi Convention

**Fleeting Inspiration**  
by Anna Sartin

. . .

**Chapter Thirty-six:** Dojinshi Convention

.

"I feel ridiculous," Eiri said as he stood in front of the mirror, running his fingers through his newly-dyed brown hair.

"Don't worry, Yuki," Shuichi said as he straightened his boyfriend's tie. "The dye washes out in the shower."

"It's not the hair dye, it's the _clothes_. I look like a member of the Yakuza! And why are there paper charms in my pockets?" He pulled several fuda out of the trench coat he was wearing and held them up.

"I had Tatsuha make them for you last night. It goes with the costume."

"And just what I supposed to be, anyway?" the author asked. "A fuda-wielding mobster?"

"A shinigami!"

Eiri raised an eyebrow. "Shinigami wield sickles, not fuda."

"I don't mean a traditional shinigami," Shuichi explained. "I dressed you up as a character from a show I like. Now for the finishing touch!" The singer pulled out a small container, which Eiri soon learned contained a pair of purple contact lens.

"Why do I need contact lens?"

"To make your eyes the right color!"

_Since when do shinigami have purple eyes? _the author wondered as he popped the lens in.

"Well, what do you think?" Shuichi asked.

"I look like YOU," the author responded, slightly disturbed by the thought. Shuichi had also dyed his hair brown and now that the couple's eyes were also the same color the two men could easily have been mistaken for brothers. "So where is YOUR costume?" he inquired, turning away from his reflection.

"I'm wearing it."

"That's your stage outfit!" Eiri nearly yelled, feeling as though he'd somehow been tricked into dressing like a fool while his lover got off scot-free wearing his usual skimpy stage clothes and yellow trench coat. "You wear it to almost every concert; it screams "I AM SHUICHI SHINDO!" You think people won't know who you are because you dyed your hair? You can't possibly be THAT stupid!"

"Don't worry, it's all part of my plan! That's why I bought _this_." The singer held up a cheap pink wig for his boyfriend to see. "See?"

"What the hell...?"

"It's a wig!"

"I can see that. What's it for?"

Shuichi put the wig on his head and grinned. "I'm pretending to be Shuichi Shindo!"

Eiri stared at the singer like he'd lost his mind. "You ARE Shuichi Shindo, you moron; and that wig is seriously ugly."

"I know, that's the point. Everyone will think I'm cosplaying as Shuichi Shindo from Bad Luck!" His grin widened. "It's brilliant! No one will ever think that I'm pretending to be me!"

"What was the point in dying your hair if you're just going to wear a wig anyway?"

"If I get swamped by fans I can take the wig off to "prove" I'm not me!" The popstar gave a sign of victory, proud of his ingenuity. "What do you think?"

"You're either a genius in disguise or an utter moron," Eiri told him, grabbing his keys and wallet. "I can't decide which. Now let's get out of here before I change my mind."

. . .

The convention was packed, and the couple had to stand in line for almost two hours just to get in the door and pay the admission. By the time they finally got in Eiri's legs were tired and he desperately wanted a cigarette. His companion on the other hand was on cloud nine, and if he hadn't been stuck on crutches Eiri had no doubt Shuichi would be bouncing around like a nutcase running back and forth between the tables and booths.

"You can be the Demon King starting today!" one man yelled from his booth, holding up his merchandise. "Get a Yuri or Wolfram costume half off when you buy any three dojinshi!"

_Wolfram? What kind of name is that?_ Eiri wondered as they passed by. _Sounds like something you'd name a dog..._

"If you like what you like then it can't be helped!" another woman told the crowd at her table. "We've got Sora and Sunao stickers, free with the purchase of any book or video game!"

"Yuki, look at this!" Shuichi squealed from a different table, holding up a book with a tall blond man and a short pink-haired man on the cover. "This is my favorite series!"

Eiri stared at the cover. "They look familiar..."

"I've got the whole series at home and I'm trying to collect every fan-comic made about it, too. How much is this book?" he asked, turning to the woman sitting on the other side of the table. Her name tag identified her as "Maki-sensei".

"Eight dollars."

Shuichi handed her the money and turned to leave, while Eiri pulled some money out of his pocket and handed it to the woman. He grabbed a copy of the same book Shuichi had just purchased and shoved it in his pocket while the singer wasn't looking.

At the next table Shuichi was already forking over his cash for two more books. "See this?" he asked, holding them up. On both covers a tall brunet man wearing a dark trench coat stood beside a short green-eyed boy. "That's you."

"This is who I'm dressed as?"

"Yup!"

Eiri took the books and examined the covers as Shuichi waited for his change. "_Love Me_ and _Love Impact_? What kind of titles are..." his voice died away as he skimmed through one of the books, turning slightly red as he did so. He quickly closed it and returned them both to the singer. "You dressed me as a character from a porn series!" he hissed as they walked away.

"I didn't!" Shuichi protested. "Some of the _dojinshi _are adult, but the REAL series isn't!"

"Hey look, it's TSUZUKI!" a female voice squealed, and before Eiri knew what was happening he was surrounded by teenage girls (and few guys) telling him how much they loved his costume. Shuichi laughed (from a safe distance) until he suddenly found himself swamped with admirers of his own, complimenting his "Shuichi costume".

Eiri hated crowds. While he saw book signings and media interviews as necessary evils, he wasn't overly fond of either; but at least they were in a controlled environment where he could easily sway and manipulate his adoring fans. Being out in the general public like this made him nervous, the way he and Shuichi had been swamped by fans during their vacation was a perfect example why. People in general were unpredictable; fans were completely nuts. After a while both crowds dissipated and people went about their business, and the two men were again free to look around. By this time Eiri's nerves were shot and he was about ready to kill some random person for a cold beer and a quiet place to smoke.

"Eiri Yuki!" a loud voice called out.

Both men cringed, waiting to be singled out and discovered.

"Get your Eiri Yuki dojinshi!" the voice yelled to the passing crowd. "Every Eiri Yuki novel ever written, remade in comic form for your viewing pleasure! And be sure to pick up our newest book _The Secret Life of Eiri Yuki_, on sale today only! Get 'em while you can, they're going fast!"

_What the hell...? _Eiri zoomed in on where the voice was coming from and followed it. It belonged to a woman who appeared to be in her twenties. Three other women of about the same age were helping her run the booth. Two of them were collecting money and the other was getting out more stock to meet the demands of the large crowd surrounding them.

"I want one, I want one!" Shuichi cried, trying to push past the people in front of him to get his hands on a copy of _The Secret Life of Eiri Yuki. _

Eiri was livid. Who the hell had given them the right to use his name and his works without his permission! He wanted to bulldoze through the crowd of people and demand to know who the hell these women thought they were, but that would mean revealing his identity to everyone in earshot and (quite possibly) damaging his image by yelling at his fans in public.

Shuichi had finally gotten his hands on a copy of _The Secret Life of Eiri Yuki_ and was playing tug-o-war with another person for it. Eiri shook his head, thoroughly disgusted. It was like that day in Osaka when the idiot had gotten himself arrested for fighting over the _GRUDGE _CD in Music World. Didn't he EVER learn? Eiri rushed over to them, determined to put an end to the scene they were causing before someone called security, only to find that Shuichi's opponent was none other than Lola Eto.

"What are YOU doing here?" Lola was yelling at the singer, tugging with all her might. "And what's with the stupid wig?"

"Let go!" Shuichi yelled right back, trying his best to keep his balance on one foot. "It's mine!"

"You don't need it!" the girl shouted. "You live with him!"

One of the women running the booth was trying to break up the squabbling pair, assuring them that she still had half a box left of that particular book and that there was no need to fight over it, but neither was willing to let go.

"It's mine!" Shuichi yelled again, tears streaming down his face. He'd finally put his other foot down and it was hurting like hell. "You always steal EVERYTHING that's mine! My song, my rehearsal room, my cookies! I'm not letting you take ANYTHING ELSE!"

"You should talk!" Lola screamed. "You're the one who got me FIRED!"

"You got _yourself _fired," Eiri told her, grabbing her wrists and forcing her to release the book. "And why would you want a book about someone you hate, anyway?"

"Mind your own business you costumed freak!"

Eiri was taken aback, both surprised and amused by the fact that she didn't recognize him.

Security arrived on the scene before he could say anything else and forced the crowd of onlookers to dissipate. Unfortunately he was taken for an "onlooker" himself and was forced to move aside. Shuichi had fallen over and was sitting on the ground panting hard, clutching the book tightly in one hand and rubbing his ankle with the other. A security officer tried to escort Lola off the premises and she kicked him, and when the man tried to physically restrain her she bit his hand. Shuichi, thanks to his injured ankle, was carried to the first-aid stand instead of being escorted out the door and had the pleasure of watching the cops arrive a few minutes later to arrest Whispering Phantom's singer.

._  
_  
_End chapter thirty-six_


	37. Chapter 37 I Should Have Stayed In Bed

**Fleeting Inspiration**  
by Anna Sartin

. . .

**Chapter Thirty-seven:** I Should Have Stayed In Bed...

.

Mr. Fuzzy watched with interest from his place on the coffee table as the human in front of him laughed manically, hugging a rectangular metal object in his arms. He didn't know why the pink-haired creature was making so much noise but he figured biting him a few times would probably get him to shut up. He found a toe suitable for this purpose and leapt into action.

"OUCH! Stop it, Kitty!"

Shuichi quickly moved his feet away from the kitten and resumed hugging the camera in his arms. He was eager to finish up the roll of film in it so he could get it developed. He'd gotten a great shot yesterday of Lola Eto being arrested in her stupid sailor school girl costume (complete with gray rat hat and orange cat purse) and he couldn't _wait _to see how it turned out! Several children had witnessed the incident, including a little girl who'd spent the whole time pointing and yelling "Look! Look! Tohru Honda is getting arrested!" Every time he remembered the look on Lola's face when she realized he'd captured her "shining moment" on film he burst out laughing.

Even better was the fact that when the chaos died down after Lola's removal the whole incident was forgotten, and by the time the nurse had finished tending to his ankle security had forgotten about throwing him out. He bought seven more books, three CDs, a poster and a pair of cat ears from a LOVELESS booth. (He was currently wearing the cat ears) Yuki had also bought a few things and they both won prizes in the costume contest. Shuichi had grabbed a random person to take their picture together with his camera. All in all, it had been a great day. Now he just needed to finish off this roll of film so he could get the pictures developed.

"Smile!" he told Mr. Fuzzy as he took the kitten's picture. Mr. Fuzzy blinked and shook his head.

"SHUICHI!" Eiri's roaring voice echoed through the apartment.

"What is it?" Shuichi asked, setting the camera down on the table and following the sound of his lover's voice. _Wonder what's got HIM so riled up this early in the morning? _He poked his head into the bathroom. "Did we run out of toilet paper again?"

"YOU SAID IT WOULD WASH OUT!"

"What?" he asked, hobbling in on his crutches. Eiri was standing in front of the bathroom mirror with a _very_ small towel wrapped around his waist and the singer's dirty mind was already hard at work imagining ways to get it off. He'd LOVE to use the rest of his film on his boyfriend right now. _I could take a picture of him with the towel on and another one after I got it off..._

"The DYE, you moron! Just LOOK at my hair!"

"What's wrong with it?" the younger man asked, not bothering to actually look up as blood dribbled down his nose. He'd love to slip his hands inside the towel and-

"It's STILL BROWN!"

Shuichi shook his head and looked up, finally snapping out of it. "No, it's not. It's more like a... dirty blond now."

"IT'S NOT THE COLOR IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE!"

"Just wash it again," the younger man advised nonchalantly. "I had to wash mine four times last night to get rid of it all."

Eiri groaned and stepped back into the shower. _This is the last time I let him talk me into doing something stupid!_

"I could _help _you," Shuichi offered, grinning suggestively as his boyfriend removed the towel.

"Out," the author ordered, pointing to door. He wasn't about to _reward _the little fool for causing him such aggravation!

"Awww..."

"OUT!"

. . .

It took Eiri almost an hour of washing to get his hair back to normal, and by that time his stomach was loudly protesting it's state of emptiness. He hadn't had breakfast yet and he'd skipped dinner last night and he was starting to feel sick. He strolled into the kitchen a short time after, now fully clothed, in search of something quick and easy to make. Shuichi was sitting at the table nibbling on a piece of burnt toast, still pouting over having his chances of a morning quickie thwarted by a measly bottle of hair dye.

"Do we have any frozen waffles left?" the author asked, heading for the fridge. Shuichi just stared blankly into space. "Shuichi!"

"Huh?"

"Did you hear me?"

"What?"

"WAFFLES!"

"What about them?

"Do we HAVE ANY?" Eiri asked again, quickly losing his patience.

"The kind that you put in the toaster?"

"No, the kind that instantly cook themselves when you open the box!"

"You don't have to be sarcastic. I think they're still some in the freezer."

Eiri grumbled something under his breath and opened the freezer door.

And wished that he hadn't.

As the door opened a landslide of pencils spilled out and covered his bare feet. "What the HELL? SHUICHI!"

"What?"

"WHY IS MY FREEZER FILLED WITH PENCILS!"

"I'm waiting for them to explode."

Eiri stared at his pink-haired lover. And stared. And stared. The singer's explanation for filling their freezer with writing utensils (as well as the fact that he's done it in the first place) was just so completely _bizarre _that the writer was at a loss for words. Mr. Fuzzy attacked the pile of pencils, chasing them around the kitchen. Every time he lost one under the stove or refrigerator he'd go back to the pile for another.

"Let me get this straight," Eiri began finally. "You put a bunch of pencils in the freezer because you want them to _explode?_"

"Not the pencils, the erasers," Shuichi explained, coming over to examine them. "Hiro says you can make an eraser explode by putting it in the freezer."

"Hiro's an idiot."

"No, he's really smart! He knows all kinds of weird stuff."

Eiri pushed the rest of the pencils out of the freezer and began searching for the waffles. "Clean up that mess... and don't put them back in the freezer!"

"None of the erasers exploded..." Shuichi said, sounding disappointed. "Hiro, you liar!"

Eiri just shook his head. In the old days- before the rambunctious singer had come into his life- he probably would have thought that if anyone was as stupid as that one had better get away from him, the quicker the better. Nowadays he just prayed that his lover's idiocy wasn't catching. He silently offered a prayer to Buddha, asking for strength, peace of mind and (if it wasn't too much trouble) a box of waffles would also be appreciated.

"I don't see the waffles," he announced, after a thorough search. Maybe Buddha was punishing him for that time he'd "role-played" with Shuichi in his monk's robes.

"Maybe Tatsuha ate them. He was up really early this morning."

"Where is he?" Eiri asked, shutting the door.

"At the convention. When he saw the books we bought yesterday he said he wanted to go today and buy some for himself. He was gone before I got up this morning."

Eiri suddenly spied the bag of shortcakes sitting on the counter. _Perfect. _He'd forgotten he still had a whole bag left. They might not be as fresh as they'd been when he first bought them on Friday but they would certainly solve his hunger problem. He grabbed the bag, but before he could indulge his rumbling stomach the phone rang.

"WHAT?" he yelled into the receiver, ready to throttle the person on the other end for coming between him and his breakfast.

"Is this the residence Uesugi Eiri-san?"

"That depends. Do I want to talk to you?"

Shuichi giggled as he crawled around the kitchen gathering the pencils Mr. Fuzzy was batting around. Eiri was prone to rudeness when he didn't want to be bothered. The irritable writer was especially saucy to telemarketers and people asking for donations. He used to try to throw them off by telling them they'd dialed the city morgue, but he stopped doing that after the couple started getting strange calls in the middle of the night asking if they made pickups after midnight.

"What's he done now?" Eiri asked whoever was on the other end of the line. "Fine, put him on."

A few seconds later Shuichi could here Tatsuha's voice on the other end, but he couldn't make out what the younger Uesugi brother was saying. "What did you do?" Eiri asked his brother in an accusing tone.

Mr. Fuzzy was sitting on the last pencil Shuichi needed to retrieve and the kitten didn't look like he was about to give it up without a fight, so the boy (wisely) decided to leave him to it. "Yuki, can you help me get up?"

"Indecent exposure?" Eiri asked, not hearing Shuichi's request for assistance. "What the hell?"

"What's going on, Yuki?" Shuichi asked, trying to stand up on his own. Trying to keep himself steady on one leg with his arms full of pencils proved to be quite difficult and when his socked foot slid against the floor's smooth surface he fell backwards, sending the pencils flying every which way. Eiri turned around to see what had happened.

"I don't care if you're a minor!" the blond yelled into the phone. "You're not my responsibility! You got yourself into this mess and you can get yourself out of it!" With that he slammed the phone down and huffed indignantly.

"Yuki?"

"Did you hurt yourself?" Eiri asked, picking his lover up and surveying the mess all over the kitchen floor.

"No, I'm alright. Sorry. I'll get them cleaned u-"

"Don't worry about it," the author responded, setting the boy down in a chair. "I'll pick them up."

"That was Tatsuha on the phone, right?" Shuichi asked, resting his head on the kitchen table. "What did he do, Yuki?"

"He's being "detained" by security for walking around the convention in his underwear. They're refusing to let him go until an adult comes to pick him up."

"You aren't going to leave him there, are you?" Shuichi asked.

"The hell I'm not. Mika can deal with him."

"But he's got your car."

"What do you mean 'he's got my car'?" Eiri asked, his eyes narrowing dangerously.

"How do you think he got to the convention?" Shuichi reasoned. " And if nobody comes to get him they might call the police instead. Won't your car get towed away?"

Eiri closed his eyes and rubbed his temples, trying to avert the headache he knew was coming. He did NOT want to make another trip to the impound lot. His stomach growled again and he grabbed the bag of shortcakes as he headed out the door grumbling, "I should have stayed in bed..."

.

_End chapter thirty-seven_


	38. Chapter 38 Open House

**Fleeting Inspiration**  
by Anna Sartin

. . .

**Chapter Thirty-eight:** Open House

.

"I can't believe you took him all the way down to Kyoto and LEFT him there!" Shuichi said when his lover returned a few hours later.

"He'll be back once he gets his motorcycle out of the repair shop," Eiri said, hanging up his coat. _At least he'll be out of my hair until then._

"Mika-san called asking for him while you were gone and I told her you were bringing him home!"

"I did," the author smirked. "Home to Kyoto."

"She's gonna be mad..."

"She'll get over it," Eiri said nonchalantly, heading for the kitchen.

"She'll come _over_."

Eiri stopped in his tracks. That was the _last _thing he needed. He couldn't properly enjoy the break from his troublesome brother if he had to deal with his bitchy, pregnant sister instead. Mika had called to check up on him every day since Tohma had left town and the only thing that kept her from coming over to nag him live and in person- other than having a baby to look after and another one on the way- was the reassurance that Tatsuha was there to "look after things" in her stead. She was still angry with Shuichi over the incident in Osaka (and had probably heard from her husband that he wasn't well) and if she learned that her youngest brother was no longer there- or, indeed, no longer in the city- she might feel the need to come over herself, where Eiri couldn't just hang up when he was tired of listening to her.

"Get your shoes on!" Eiri commanded, turning around and grabbing his coat again.

"What? Why? Where are we going?" Shuichi asked.

"Out." The blond opened the door and waited for him to slip into his shoes.

"I can't wait to get the bandages off so I won't need these stupid crutches!"

"Tomorrow morning, hopefully," Eiri said. "Unless of course you trip over something _else _between here and the hospital... which I wouldn't put past you considering how clumsy you are."

"Yuki!" The singer pouted cutely, earning him a kiss for his trouble. He hopped out the door and Eiri locked it behind them. "So why was your brother walking around the convention in his underwear?" the singer asked as they headed for the car.

"Apparently there was a contest for the 'most daring costume'. They told him that parading around in a pair of boxers with "I Love Ryuichi!" written all over them didn't count as a costume and called security when he refused to put his clothes back on."

"Your brother is _weird_."

"You're one to talk."

Shuichi laughed shamelessly. "So where are we going?"

"To an Open House. I saw a sign this morning so I figured we could check it out."

Shuichi nodded enthusiastically. "Let's go!"

. . .

"Well, what do you think?" the real estate agent asked, after she'd given the couple a tour of the house.

"It's beautiful..." Shuichi breathed.

"It's smaller that I thought it would be," Eiri sniffed in an aristocratic air.

Shuichi stared at him in disbelief. "How can you call a house with five bedrooms _small?_"

"Actually it's a four-bedroom house," the woman explained. "The room on the first floor is a den."

"Well still! This house is huge!"

"The living room is only half the size of the one at the apartment," Eiri pointed out.

"It's not THAT small," Shuichi said. "Besides, even if the living room is a little small the _house_is still big. The bedrooms are huge, and I've never been in a house with THREE bathrooms."

Eiri grunted in response.

"Two and a half," the real estate agent piped up.

"There were THREE, I saw them!" Shuichi told her. "Besides, how could a house only have HALF a room?"

Eiri rolled his eyes and wandered out the back door while the woman explained to his idiot partner that a bathroom with no bathtub was called a "half-bath". The master bedroom had it's own bathroom, and he had to admit he _was _rather fond of the oversized bathtub...

He surveyed the backyard as he lit up a cigarette. The place wasn't bad. The property was spacious and well-kept and it was in an upscale neighborhood; it just didn't have the same _feel _of his oversized (and over-priced) apartment. He was also beginning to realize that owning a house would mean that he would be directly responsible for its upkeep. The grass would have to be cut regularly, the garden would need weeded and they would have to shovel the sidewalk when it snowed. He'd never had to deal with any of these things living in apartments. He could foist the majority of the outside chores on Shuichi, but he did NOT trust the boy with a lawnmower. The idiot was liable to run over his own foot.

Still, despite his misgivings he was already more than half in love with certain aspects of the place, including the large wrap-around porch he was currently standing on. It could not have been cheap to build and it ran the full length of the house. He could imagine bringing his laptop out here on nice days to smoke while he worked. All he required was a table and few chairs (one for himself and one for Shuichi to sit in while he pestered him about working too much) and he could make this work.

"Well, do you like it?" he asked when Shuichi came out a few minutes later.

"Oh, yes! Yuki, it's perfect!"

"Then let's do it."

"Really? Eiri, I love you!"

Before the writer could respond Shuichi dropped his crutches and leapt into his arms, kissing him passionately, happily, excitedly. The world around them melted away, leaving the blushing real estate agent standing in the doorway feeling somewhat awkward.

"Um... Sirs? Sirs?"

. . .

"How long do you think it will be until we can move in?" Shuichi asked later, when they were back at the apartment.

"You heard the woman. As soon as the paperwork comes through."

"How long is THAT?" The singer persisted, tugging on his sleeve childishly.

"One to two weeks. Weren't you LISTENING?"

"Not really. I was kind of floating in a happy daze," the pink-haired man smiled, leaning on his lover's shoulder. "Do you think it'll be ready by my birthday?"

"Maybe. It's still a week away. We're going to have to start packing."

"I'm so happy!" Shuichi cooed, squeezing the blond's arm affectionately. "Hey, Yuki?"

"What?"

"Will... will it be OUR house?" he asked softly. "I mean, like yours and mine?"

Eiri pondered the question for a minute, not exactly sure of the answer. Of course they were going to live together, but... were they actually going to _buy the house together?_

He thought back on when they'd gone mattress shopping together. At the time he figured letting Shuichi help choose a mattress was a small way to show his commitment to their relationship. After all, they would both be sleeping on it every night since Eiri had promised that he would never force his lover out of the bedroom again. Putting Shuichi's name on the deed to the house they purchased would be another way of showing his commitment, but on a much larger scale.

_Right now we're all but married in his eyes, and if we're going to start owning property together then..._

There would be no getting rid of the singer. Ever. He highly doubted that he could get rid of Shuichi _now_, but if they were going to own the same house there would definitely be no escaping him. Not that he _wanted _to escape, but... Owning a house together was about as close to married that two men who were having sex together could legally get in Japan. Despite the matching rings that he'd bought for them less than a year ago he wasn't sure if he was ready to be "married".

"Yuki?" the singer asked, when the writer didn't respond.

"Is that what you want?" the author asked, stalling for time. He needed to think...

Shuichi responded by tightening his grip on the blond and bursting into tears.

Eiri blinked. _Not exactly the response I was anticipating... _"What? What are you crying for?"

"I'm so **happy! **I'd love to buy a house with Yuki!"

"I didn't say that we were! I just asked if you wanted to!" Shuichi's emotional outburst had shaken the writer up a bit, making him feel like he was being backed into a corner.

Shuichi pulled back slightly. "So... are we?"

Eiri tried to quell the feeling of panic rising in him. _Don't panic! So I won't be able to throw him out whenever I want to anymore, but I'll still be my own man! I don't have to do anything I don't want! I can leave whenever I want and if I don't like it then I don't have to come back!_

He wasn't seriously considering abandoning Shuichi, but for some reason the thought of being tied down scared the hell out of him. He hated feeling trapped. His palms were sweating now, and the way Shuichi was looking at him expectantly wasn't helping either.

_I don't have to do this! I need more time to think! I-_

His thoughts were suddenly disrupted when Shuichi kissed his hand and smiled at him understandingly. "It's okay, Eiri. If you're not ready or the idea scares you then I understand."

_How does he know me so well?_

"As long as we're together, that's all that matters to me," Shuichi continued reassuringly.

Eiri forced himself to take a deep breath. "Just... give me some time to think about it, okay?"

"Okay."

He settled back on the couch, letting his nerves settle and his heart rate return to normal. _I want to be with him. I don't want to lose him. Ever. This shouldn't be freaking me out like this..._

So what did it mean when you knew with absolute certainty that you wanted to be with someone for the rest of your life but were terrified to own property with them? It made no sense. He was suddenly glad his appointment with his psychiatrist was tomorrow morning, because he needed to talk to her desperately. He just hoped SHE wouldn't need therapy by the time their session was finished.

_End chapter thirty-eight_


	39. The Results of a Drunken Therapy Session

**Fleeting Inspiration**  
by Anna Sartin

. . .

**Chapter 39:** The Results of a Drunken Therapy Session

.

"Let's break this down a bit, shall we?" Eiri's psychiatrist suggested, after listening to her somewhat tipsy patient ramble in circles for awhile. "What you're basically saying is that you're afraid to enter into an equal partnership with your lover."

"I guess so," Eiri responded dully, wishing he had another beer in hand. "Whenever I think about it I start feeling... trapped. Out of control." He hadn't been able to sleep after his conversation with Shuichi yesterday so he'd spent the night drinking instead. Shuichi woke up around five in the morning to the sound of yelling and found his drunken lover having a one-sided argument with _Four Gay Elves. _He'd spent the rest of the morning trying to sober his boyfriend up enough to drive them to the hospital for their appointments.

"Trapped and out of control..." the psychiatrist echoed. "I remember a time when you use to come into my office every week and describe feeling that way."

"Only this time it isn't about _him_."

"Perhaps, but your feelings and memories of _him _controlled your actions and your way of thinking for a long time. You told me several times that you would never let anyone control you again. Are you afraid of being controlled by Shindo-san?"

"I don't know. Ever since he asked me if we were going to buy the house together I've been freaking out about it."

"Tell me, between you and Shindo-san who does the majority of the decision-making?"

"I do."

"Why?"

"Because it's my apartment."

"So if you and Shindo-san owned a house together you think your control in the relationship would be compromised?"

"I don't know... maybe..."

"If it were the other way around and Shindo-san made the majority of the decisions for you, do you think he would make bad decisions?"

"I've never thought about it... He does a lot of stupid things."

"Such as?"

"Sticking pencils in the freezer to see if the erasers explode. Sometimes I feel like I'm living with a child instead of another adult."

"So you don't look at him as an equal?"

"Sometimes. It depends on the situation."

"If you and Shindo-san purchased this house together what's the worst possible scenario you could imagine?"

"That idiot blowing it up."

"I mean the worst thing you could image him doing to _you_."

"Blowing it up with ME inside it!"

The doctor laughed in spite of herself. "Do you honestly think Shindo-san would blow up your house?"

"I don't put it past him. He's set the kitchen on fire more than once."

"Surely not on purpose."

"No, nothing that idiot ever does is intentional; but it happens all the same."

"What's the worst you can imagine him doing to you on _purpose?_" the woman asked.

Eiri thought about that and immediately began to tremble as his brain produced a frightening image of his lover's face morphing into his long-dead tutor. Ten dollars... a gun... a grave... His stomach was beginning to hurt. "Him turning into... _him_."

"Do you mean that literally or figuratively?" asked the psychologist.

Eiri closed his eyes, hearing Shuichi's voice in his head.

_"Instead of seeing me, you see the ghost of Yuki Kitazawa! I'm SHUICHI SHINDO! I'm NOT Yuki Kitazawa!"_

It had been over half a year ago since they'd butted heads over that particular subject but the memory of the argument was still disturbingly clear in his mind. He clenched his fists tightly in his lap. Why couldn't the boy understand? Why couldn't ANYBODY understand that he _had _to stay in control of his life or he could wind up destroying it with his own two hands? When he lost control terrible things happened... people wound up dead. He would not let Shuichi wind up like Kitazawa. But how could he stay in control when it seemed like everything around him was trying to drive him crazy?

His breaths were becoming ragged, alerting the doctor to the warning signs that her still tipsy patient was having difficulty discussing this topic. She got him a cup of water from the dispenser on the other side of her office and told him to calm himself before continuing.

"In America I thought my life was perfect," Eiri said in a low voice after he finished the water. "My teenage mind was unable to grasp how foolish that idea was until I suddenly found out how very, very wrong I was. Now I'm starting to feel that way again and it scares the shit out of me."

"You feel like your life is perfect?"

"If I thought that I wouldn't be _here_," he said in an annoyed tone.

"Then what do you mean?" she prodded gently.

"Before I was taken to New York eight years ago I lived a miserable childhood in Japan where I was too short, too timid and too foreign-looking to be accepted by my peers. I hated my life here and I never dreamed that it would ever be any different. Then one day Tohma Seguchi took my hand and whisked me away to another world. I was happier there than I'd ever been until..." He stopped, staring at the empty cup in his hand. Pity he couldn't refill it with some booze. Anything alcoholic would do, he wasn't feeling particularly picky at the moment. Anything to take the edge off...

"Until Kitazawa-san's death," the doctor finished for him when he didn't continue.

He looked up, suddenly remembering his broken train of thought. "Yes. This time it's Shuichi who gave me a new life. Like Tohma, he pulled me out of a mundane existence and showed me a world I thought I'd never see. I don't want to go back to way things were before he and I met. I don't want to lose him... I don't want history to repeat itself."

"What makes you think it would?" the doctor asked.

"Because for eight years I've been waiting for the other shoe to drop!" he shouted, his eyes brimming with unshed tears. "I'm waiting for him to die or betray me or leave when he decides that he's tired of playing house. I'm afraid... I'm afraid to be happy!" With that he broke down completely, crushing the paper cup in his hand as he burst into tears.

"Is that why you make the decisions for both of you?" she asked, almost wishing that her patient would come to their appointments drunk more often. This was the most she'd ever gotten him to talk in one sitting. "To keep him under control so he won't hurt you?"

"And to keep him _safe,_" Eiri told her.

"From what?"

"Me... himself... the rest of the world... He's the most accident prone human being I've ever known and he doesn't even have the sense to look before he crosses the street! Every time I turn around he's in some kind of trouble and it's usually because I was too busy being an ass to pay attention. Everything that happens to him is either directly or indirectly because of my negligence. He nearly drowned on our vacation and ever since then I've been having nightmares of him dying. I don't want to be standing at his grave eight years from now mourning him the way I do Yuki, wishing that I were dead with him!"

"So your real fear isn't that he'll _become _like Yuki Kitazawa, but that you'll lose him like you did Kitazawa-san. And then..."

"And then I'll be left with nothing," Eiri finished for her. "Again."

"Do you want a life with Shuichi Shindo?"

"Yes," he answered simply.

"Then don't live in fear of the future, or in the shadow of the past. Shindo-san in not _him_, and neither of you are tied to his fate. Not unless you allow yourself to be. This is the only life you get, and it's up to you to make it everything you want it to be."

Eiri stared at her. Was that possible? "It that possible?" he asked.

"If you both work hard to communicate effectively and _share _the burdens and responsibilities, then certainly."

Eiri cracked a half-smile. Maybe it was the beer talking, but her advice actually sounded plausible. He'd have to remember that, provided he still remembered _any _of their conversation a few hours later after he'd sobered up. So, while he sitting in front of a spewing fount of wisdom...

"Well, since you have all the answers, Sensei, tell me... How do I get rid of a stalking book?"

...he figured he'd better take advantage of the opportunity.

. . .

"Yuki!" Shuichi waved excitedly when Eiri went to pick him up later from his appointment at the other end of the hospital. "Look! My bandages are gone!"

"No more crutches, huh?" the author said, ruffling his lover's pink hair. "Does that mean you're ready to start packing?"

"You bet! I can't wait to move into the new house!"

"OUR new house, you mean?"

"Yep! Our-" He stopped suddenly. "Does this mean... you want us to buy the house _together?_"

Eiri grinned. "Yeah."

Shuichi eyed him doubtfully. "Are you still drunk?"

"Maybe, but my answer will still be the same when I'm sober." He was promptly tackled to the ground.

"Yuki, I LOVE you! I love you so much!"

"I know, I know..."

"I'm so excited! I can't wait to tell ev- Yuki?" Eiri began coughing violently and Shuichi helped him to sit up. "Are you okay?" the singer asked, rubbing the blond's back. The blond's face was etched with exhaustion, no doubt the result of his all-night drinking binge. "I shouldn't have tackled you, I'm sorry!"

"I... I'm going to be..." Before he could finish he threw up in his boyfriend's lap.

Shuichi turned slightly green and screamed for help. Several nurses immediately came to their aid. "Get a doctor, GET A DOCTOR!" the singer yelled frantically, as Eiri slipped out of consciousness.

.

_End chapter thirty-nine_


	40. Chapter 40 Hangover

**Fleeting Inspiration**  
by Anna Sartin

. . .

**Chapter 40:** Hangover

.

"You passed out from exhaustion," the doctor explained after Eiri had regained consciousness. He'd woken up in a hospital bed with a killer hangover and Shuichi hovering over him anxiously.

"But why did he throw up?" Shuichi wanted to know.

"Too much alcohol," the doctor said, giving Eiri a disapproving look.

"Thank goodness!" Shuichi said, relieved. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, holding his boyfriend's hand tightly in his own. "I was so afraid you were really sick! You usually hold your alcohol better than this..."

Eiri grunted something unintelligible as he stared blankly at the ceiling, silently vowing to _never _drink that much again. The only thing that hurt worse than his head was his stomach. Or maybe it was the other way around.

"How much beer did you _have_?" Shuichi asked.

"I don't know," the writer answered dully. "I drank everything in the house and when I ran out I went to the store and got more."

The doctor shook her head. "Uesugi-san, I've advised you repeatedly to cut back on the alcohol. Your x-rays show that your ulcer is acting up again."

"I believe it," Eiri responded. His stomach felt like it was on fire.

"Shindo-san informed me that you forgot to take your medicine this morning. If you don't start taking better care of yourself you're going to wind up in the emergency room again. Why in the world did you drink so much?"

"I couldn't sleep."

"Why didn't you _tell_ me you were having trouble sleeping?" Shuichi asked. He looked like he was about to cry. "I could have rubbed your back or sang to you or... or... _something _to help!"

"Don't starting crying on me, brat."

"Well, I was _scared! _When you threw up on me I thought-"

"Can I go home?" Eiri asked his physician, trying to hide his embarrassment. He tightened his grip on Shuichi's hand to silence him and prayed that his emotional lover would save his hysterics until after they'd gone home.

"Yes, provided you don't drive yourself. You shouldn't have driven here in the first place," the doctor said in a reproachful manner. "I want you to stay off your feet the rest of the day and no more alcohol until your ulcer clears up. No smoking either."

Eiri stared at the woman, frozen in absolute horror."You can't be serious!" he protested, when he finally found his voice. No smoking or drinking? How was he supposed to _survive?_

"I'm very serious, Uesugi-san, and I mean it this time. Your stomach is getting worse, and if you keep this up you're going to have another bleeding ulcer. Absolutely NO more alcohol until you're well."

"Don't worry, I'll make sure he stays away from the booze!" Shuichi declared, ignoring the glare his boyfriend shot his way.

"And what if my ulcer _never _clears up?" the author asked.

"Then I suggest you find something else to do with your time," the doctor said icily.

Eiri let out an annoyed grunt in response.

"And another thing, it looks like you've lost some weight. Shindo-san tells me that you haven't been eating much lately."

"I haven't had much of an appetite."

"That's one of the side effects of your ulcer medicine. You mustn't let it control your eating habits. It's important that you maintain a healthy weight while you're undergoing treatment. Underweight patients often have a longer and more difficult recovery process, so from now I want you to eat before taking your medication."

Eiri nodded mutely.

"And no skipping meals," she added, before turning to leave. "I'll go sign your release forms."

"Can you get Yuki something for his headache?" Shuichi asked.

"I'll have the nurse bring a painkiller," she said, and with that she was gone.

A minute later a nurse appeared, but Eiri didn't seem to notice her presence until Shuichi whispered, "Your pills are here, and she brought an ice pack for your head." Eiri quickly downed the pills then closed his eyes and allowed the nurse to gently place the ice pack on his forehead.

"I called Mika to come and take us home," Shuichi said, after the nurse had gone. "She's on her way."

Eiri's eyes flew open. "You _what?_"

"Well, I had to!" Shuichi reasoned. "I can't drive us home, and if the doctor had said you had to spend the night I would have needed someone to take _me _home."

"Why didn't you call _Tatsuha?_"

"Oh, I did!" the singer said brightly. "He's bringing me some clean clothes." The hospital had given him some surgical scrubs to wear until a change of clothes could be secured. The borrowed clothes were several sized too big for him and Eiri found the sight to be rather comical. His little lover looked like a child pretending to be a surgeon.

"If Tatsuha's coming here than why did you call _her?_"

"Well, Tatsuha wouldn't be able to drive us both home on his motorcycle, you know? Plus he's coming all the way from Kyoto so it'll take him awhile to get here."

Eiri staring at the ceiling. He couldn't smoke, he couldn't drink, he felt he'd been hit by a truck and he was going to have to deal with _both_ of his troublesome siblings at the same time? Well, that was just fucking _peachy_.

Sometimes he seriously hated his life.

. . .

When they got home Eiri retreated to the bedroom almost immediately, after threatening his brother and sister with a slow and painful death if they disturbed him. He'd been planning on issuing a similar warning to Shuichi, but the boy looked so pale and tired that the blond didn't have the heart to leave him to deal with his annoying siblings. The past three weeks had been hard on them both, and they both needed rest.

"Do you feel any better?" Shuichi asked when they were comfortably situated in their bed.

"I feel like shit," Eiri answered.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Shuichi asked, rubbing the blond's aching head.

"Yes. Stop talking."

"Sorry."

They could hear Tatsuha and Mika arguing from the other end of the apartment. Mika was blaming Tatsuha for their brother's current condition and Tatsuha, naturally, didn't think it was fair.

"I told you to stay here and watch him!"

"He's an adult, Aneki! He doesn't need a babysitter!"

"If you had stayed here like I told you to he wouldn't be in the condition he's in!"

"_He _was the one who sent me back to Kyoto. Besides, he has Shuichi here to-"

"That boy can't look after _himself_, let alone deal with Eiri's problems."

"He's been dealing with Aniki's problems for almost two years."

"Causing them, you mean!"

The argument droned on, but the sound of soft weeping at his side made Eiri lose interest in what was being said.

"Shuichi?"

"I...I'm sorry..." Shuichi whispered, sitting up. "I know you have a headache. I'll go make them be quiet..."

Eiri grabbed his companion's wrist before he could get up. "Ignore them."

"But..."

The author sighed and pulled him closer. "I'm only saying this once, so listen up. My sister is pregnant and emotional, and she doesn't know what the hell she's talking about."

"Am I a nuisance, Yuki?" Shuichi asked in a desperate tone. "Do I make everything worse for you?"

"Does it matter?"

"Of course it matters!" the younger man cried. "I love you! I want to help you, not hurt you!"

"Sometimes it IS hard having you around, but your presence... helps me far more than it inconveniences me. If you weren't with me..." He stopped, not sure how to continue. How could he possibly explain how Shuichi had transformed his life, or how empty it would be if he lost him?

"If I weren't with you...?" Shuichi whispered, eager for him to continue.

"If you weren't with me who would I fuck every night?" Eiri finished, watching with amusement as the singer's jaw dropped.

"You JERK!"

Eiri chuckled softly as his lover began to rant about how hard it was living with the coldest bastard on the planet. This went on until Shuichi ran out of breath, and after that he continued to glare at the blond with a hurt expression until Eiri stroked his face and motioned for him to lay back down. The younger man obeyed, reluctantly.

"I was _kidding_, you retard. I want you here because I love you."

Shuichi smiled snuggled against his mate. "I love you, too."

"Are you okay?" Eiri asked.

"My head hurts."

"Mine too."

"I know... Does your stomach still hurt?"

"Mm. I think I overdid it last night."

"You're just figuring that out NOW?"

"Shut up."

Mr. Fuzzy jumped onto the bed and settled himself comfortably between the two humans. Eiri's hand immediately moved to pet the little furball. He started to purr and Eiri smiled faintly. He wondered what it was about soft, furry animals that had a way of making people feeling better.

Shuichi also smiled, noting that both the kitten and his boyfriend's personalities softened considerably when together. Mr. Fuzzy chased Eiri's fingers as he ran them up and down his chest and Shuichi laughed at the cute scene. Eiri's hand stilled.

"What are you staring at?" he asked, glaring at Shuichi. For a moment he'd almost forgotten the pink-haired man was still there.

"You."

"Well _stop_."

"You don't have to stop playing with the kitten just because I'm watching," Shuichi said, grinning. "I already know how sweet you are, so you don't have to bother hiding it."

The kitten pounced on Eiri's hand and he reluctantly continued their play. He rolled the little gray furball onto his back and rubbed his stomach.

"Maybe we should get a kitten of our own," Shuichi suggested.

"No."

"But why? You seem to really l-"

"I don't want another kitten!" Eiri snapped, cutting the singer off as Mr. Fuzzy settled onto his chest and closed his eyes. _I want this one..._

_._

_End chapter forty_


	41. Chapter 41 Breakfast Conversation

**Fleeting Inspiration**  
by Anna Sartin

. . .

**Chapter 41:** Breakfast Conversation

.

"Are monks really holy?" Shuichi asked over breakfast the next morning.

"What do you mean?" Eiri asked.

"Are you guys all... you know, enlightened?"

"I don't feel very enlightened, if that's what you mean," Eiri responded as he forced himself to take another bite of the buttered toast his sister had shoved in front of him and commanded he eat. _Nicotine deprived is more like it... _

Fuck the toast, what he needed was a cigarette. Shuichi had hidden them and he'd spend most of the morning looking for them, to no avail.

_At least there's still the pack in my glove compartment..._

"What about you, Tatsuha?" Shuichi asked.

The raven-haired monk grinned lustfully. "The closest I ever came to having a "religious experience" was on Ryuichi's birthday, when he and I first-"

Mika actually kicked him underneath the table. "**Tatsuha!**"

"What?" he asked, stuffing his food into his mouth.

"I don't think either of my brothers are good examples of a typical monk, Shindo-san," she sighed. "I weep for the future of our family temple." Both Uesugi brothers rolled their eyes.

"Why the sudden interest in religion?" Eiri asked his lover.

"Well, Tatsuha and I were watching a movie about Buddha on TV last night and I was thinking about that monk who took your cel phone while we were on vacation. I wonder if he was enlightened?"

"I seriously doubt it."

"But monks are supposed to be enlightened, right?" Shuichi asked.

"I think the purpose of being a monk is to _seek_ enlightenment. Not everybody finds it."

"The purpose of becoming a monk is to end suffering," Tatsuha corrected his brother.

"And how would you know?" Eiri retorted. "You cause more suffering than you end!"

"And you _don't?_"

"Will you two shut up and let the rest of us eat in peace!" Mika snapped, not in the mood to listen to an early-morning argument. Her brothers both fell silent, not in the mood for an early-morning lecture.

"Can Christians achieve enlightenment?" the singer asked, remembering the homeless woman on 4th street. He wondered how the mentally unstable foreigner had wound up homeless in Tokyo. _Maybe she was on a religious pilgrimage?_

"Christians aren't enlightened, they're "saved"."

"Saved from what?" Shuichi and Tatsuha both asked at the same time.

"Who knows?" he answered, pouring himself his fifth cup of coffee since waking up. Since he couldn't have any alcohol or nicotine until he was well, he figured caffeine would have to get him through life until then.

"Actually, if they're anything like that woman on 4th Street, they're _nuts_," Tatsuha declared, taking a bite out of his toast.

"She might be enlightened, though!" Shuichi said. "She says she can hear the voice of God!"

"She thinks 'God' is a lawn chair," Tatsuha pointed out. "I wouldn't call someone who talks to chairs enlightened."

"Is there a reason we're having this conversation?" Eiri wanted to know.

Shuichi laughed. "I don't know. It's kind of nice having a conversation over breakfast though, isn't it?"

Eiri grunted.

"What time is your meeting this morning?" Mika asked, changing the subject. Tohma was going to be there and he was supposed to come home afterwards. Ryuichi and Noriko were coming back later in the afternoon.

"Ten o'clock."

"Is my honey gonna be there?" Tatsuha asked eagerly.

"For the last time, NO!" Eiri shouted.

"Tohma told me something interesting yesterday," Mika said. She'd spent over an hour on the phone with her husband last night, which gave the rest of household a break from her nagging. "He told me you got an offer to read one of your books aloud for an audio book."

"It's all part of the movie deal," Eiri explained. "It'll be a tie-in with the movie when it comes out."

"So it's the same book that's being made into a movie?" Tatsuha asked. Eiri nodded. "Then Ryuichi should be the one to read it!" he declared. "He's the star, after all! You're just the _author_."

Eiri rose from the table, annoyed and wounded by his brother's statement. He'd worked damn hard over the years to achieve all that he had. What had that little shit accomplished in that time? Nothing! What right did he have to speak of his accomplishments with such disrespect? He turned to leave, but Shuichi grabbed his sleeve before he could go.

"Yuki, please eat more."

"I'm not hungry."

"_Please?_ You've only taken six bites!"

"You _counted?_" Eiri asked. The thought of someone paying THAT much attention to what he ate was sort of... creepy. He wondered if there was any aspect of his life that Shuichi _didn't_ take detailed mental notes on. _He probably knows how many **eyelashes** I have..._ the author thought as he sat back down and took a seventh bite out of his toast.

Tatsuha smirked, preparing to make a comment about his brother being whipped, until Mika guessed his mind and kicked him under the table again. _What is she, psychic? _he wondered.

The phone rang and Eiri tried again to escape the table. "I'll get it, Yuki," his lover told him. "You eat, okay?"

"At least Shindo-san is good for _something_," Mika remarked, when the boy had left the room.

"I want you to stop berating Shuichi," Eiri told his sister. Pregnant or not, he was tired of listening to her. He was starting to wish that he was deaf, or that his siblings were mute. Either way.

"I haven't said anything to him," Mika responded.

"We both heard you yelling at Tatsuha last night and you weren't exactly quiet while you were on the phone with Seguchi, either. He hears you and it hurts him. For whatever crazy reason he likes you and he cares about what you think of him."

"I didn't realize," she responded, looking genuinely apologetic as her eyes fell upon Shuichi's empty seat.

"It's been over a year, Mika," Eiri said. "Almost two. Do you honestly _still_ believe that he's going to hurt me?"

Mika was silent for a moment. "No," she answered finally.

"Then leave it be."

"I only worry because I _care_ about you, Eiri."

"If he gets hurt as a result of your meddling I won't forgive you," Eiri warned, throwing his half-eaten toast in the trash while Shuichi wasn't in the room to scold him.

"YUKI!" Shuichi yelled, running into the room with the phone in his hand. "Guess what?"

The blond just stared at his hyper lover, waiting for him to continue.

"Yoshi is coming into town on Friday and needs a place to stay. Can he stay with us, Yuki? Please?"

Eiri blinked. Yoshi Eto? Why in the world...? He didn't particularly mind, and he knew he and Shuichi were both indebted to the young man for all his help while they were in Osaka. Still, he was beginning to wonder if he and Shuichi were ever going to have their home to themselves again. Riku was currently in America visiting his "Aunt" Yoshiki, but he had no doubt the kid would be back before he knew it, turning the house upside down and monopolizing his time with Shuichi.

"Who's Yoshi Eto?" Tatsuha asked, before Eiri could say anything.

"This nice guy we met on vacation. He let us stay at his place when Yuki's car got impound!"

"Your car was _impounded?_" Mika asked her brother.

Eiri ignored her and nodded his assent to Shuichi, who told Yoshi that they'd be more than happy to have him visit for a few days.

"Wait a minute... is he the "replacement for Tatsuha" you were talking about?" Mika asked Eiri when Shuichi went to go hang up the phone.

"Replacement for me?" Tatsuha asked, confused. He looked to his brother for clarification.

Eiri groaned and left the room. His siblings followed. He couldn't believe Mika _still_ thought that he and Shuichi had picked up a hooker while they were out of town.

"Eiri, answer me! Eiri!"

"Aniki, wait up!"

Shuichi almost laughed as he watched his boyfriend slip his bare feet into his shoes, grab his coat and disappear out the front door before his siblings could ask anymore questions.

"Guess he'd rather go to his meeting two hours early with no socks than talk to us," Tatsuha said to his sister.

Mika turned around and zeroed in on Shuichi, who sweatdropped nervously and backed against the wall. "Shindo-san, I want answers!"

.

_End chapter forty-one_


	42. Chapter 42 Welcome Home?

**Fleeting Inspiration**  
by Anna Sartin

. . .

**Chapter 42:** Welcome Home?

.

When Eiri returned home several hours later he found his sister, brother and lover all sitting in the living room laughing merrily. Mika and Shuichi were sitting on the sofa drinking tea and chatting like old friends. Tatsuha sat on the floor nearby organizing a pile of magazines while Mr. Fuzzy sat on the coffee table "helping" by attacking the young monk's head at random intervals.

"It was the funniest thing!" Mika laughed. "Eiri was all dressed up in Mother's clothes and he'd even tried putting on her make-up!"

Eiri's face paled. _Oh holy Buddha..._

"How old was he?" Shuichi asked.

"Five," Mika answered. "Mother thought it was the cutest thing in the world but Father looked like he was about to have a heart attack!"

"I'm sorry I wasn't there to see that," Tatsuha laughed.

"Where were you?" Shuichi inquired.

"I wasn't born yet, silly."

Eiri wondered if he could back out of the apartment without being noticed. He took two steps backward and bumped into Tohma, who'd followed him home in his car. _So much for that idea... _the author thought sourly. The other blond sported an amused smile, much to Eiri's annoyance.

"Surely _you've_ got a story or two to tell about Aniki," Tatsuha prodded Shuichi. "You live with him, after all."

So far Mika had done the majority of the telling, having a large store of funny recollections along with several amusing anecdotes her husband had told her about her brother's time in America. Tatsuha had also shared one or two childhood memories, but Shuichi had yet to add anything to the conversation. He thought for a moment. "Well, there was this one time he got drunk and-"

"Enough!" Eiri roared from the doorway, with such force that it blew the hat off of his brother-in-law's head. "Out! All of you, OUT!"

Mr. Fuzzy chose this moment to strike, forcing Tatsuha to run out of the room with the kitten's claws and teeth firmly embedded in his scalp. Mika was about to utter some form of protest but Eiri threw her coat at her before she could say a word. One could almost see the fire raging in his golden eyes. Tohma quickly decided (after retrieving his hat) that it would be wise to leave before they were physically removed. He helped his wife rise from her seat and politely excused them both before heading for the door. Shuichi trailed behind them.

"Except _you_," Eiri amended, grabbing his boyfriend's arm before he could leave.

Shuichi gulped. _Oh crap... _"Welcome home?" he offered in a tiny voice when they were alone. He hoped his boyfriend wasn't planning on doing anything painful to him.

"What was that all about?" Eiri demanded. The singer laughed nervously.

"Well, for some reason Mika-san got my pillow Tatsuha- You know, the one I gave to Ryuichi?- confused with the real Tatsuha, and she thought the new one you bought for me a few weeks ago was a... well, you don't want to know what she thought. Anyway, when we got the misunderstanding cleared up we were all laughing pretty hard and Mika-san started telling us about the funny things you used to do when you were younger. Oh, and Tatsuha told us about the time you traded his pet hamster for a can of beets. That was mean, Yuki!"

Eiri snickered as he remembered that particular incident. His brother **hated** beets. _I even stuck it in the hamster wheel..._ he recalled. He'd traded the hamster to a neighborhood boy after Tatsuha traded his condoms for a pack of balloons. A few days after the disappearance of his pet Tatsuha stole his brother's cigarettes and traded them (to same teenager he'd given the condoms to) for a can of fishing worms. He then proceeded to dump the can in Eiri's underwear drawer. _Ah, the good old days..._ By the time the "trading phase" of their little revenge game was over the neighborhood children had acquired four packs of condoms, a hamster, three packs of cigarettes, a set of rare (mint condition) comic books, Eiri's favorite watch, a limited edition Nittle Grasper poster, most of Eiri's jewelry (which Tatsuha traded to get his poster back) and the Playstation Tatsuha had gotten for his birthday the year before.

"Yuki, are you okay?" Shuichi asked.

"Huh?" Eiri asked, snapping out of his reverie. "What?"

"You were spacing out..."

"Oh. Sorry."

"Don't be mad at me, okay?" Shuichi pleaded.

The author plopped down on the sofa. "Fine. But the next time my sister opens her mouth stuff something in it!"

"So how was your meeting?" Shuichi asked, taking a seat next to him.

"They want me to write the script for the film."

"Yuki, that's great!"

"No, it isn't. I can't write worth a shit right now and they want the rough draft ready in two months."

"But you've already written the story, right? So all you've got to do is re-write your book in script form."

"They also want me to write the lyrics for the theme song and record the audiobook. I'm going to have a lot of work to do in the next few months and we've still got to get packed and move into our new house. It's all just... overwhelming."

"The doctor told you to take it easy," Shuichi reminded him.

"The doctor doesn't pay my bills."

Shuichi moved into his lover's lap and wrapped his arms around him. "Your bills would pay themselves even if you never worked again."

"Not true," Eiri smirked. "I'd drink my bank account dry in a year. Two tops. And they just raised the price of cigarettes again."

"In other words you work to support your habits, not pay the bills!"

"Hey, I have to do something with all that money, right? There has the be **some** perks to being rich."

"You're so full of it," Shuichi whispered, kissing the blond and pressing their foreheads together. "I wish you'd cut back, though. I get really scared when you're sick. I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to my Yuki."

Something stirred inside Eiri, causing him to tighten his hold on his little lover. The thought of being left alone scared the hell out of him, and it didn't take a genius to figure out that the singer's greatest fear was the same as his. So if they were in agreement on that point then maybe he could put a bit more effort into staying alive. Possibly. He closed his eyes and whispered, "I'll... try."

Shuichi perked up immediately. "Really?"

"I'm not promising anything, just... I'll try, okay?"

"Okay!" The singer crushed his boyfriend in a hug and hopped off his lap. He grabbed a mechanical pencil off of the coffee table and handed it to the writer. "Take this!"

"Exactly what am I supposed to do with THIS?" Eiri asked. "I thought we established that these things are better off kept out of my possession."

"It's a lucky pencil!" Shuichi informed him.

"I KNOW it's your "lucky pencil", idiot. I was there when you bought it, remember? Why are you giving it to _me_?"

"There were two in the pack I bought from the drugstore, so I'm giving you one to celebrate your return to work!"

"Why?" the author asked. It was the twenty-first century and he had a laptop to write his novels on. Why the hell would he need a pencil?

"For luck!" Shuichi explained. "You don't have to actually write with it, you can just keep it around to help your inspiration. You know, like a good luck charm."

"Well, at least this isn't as moronic as that stupid box you brought home," Eiri said, shoving the pencil in his pocket.

"Let's start packing today," the singer suggested. "That way we'll be all ready by the time they say we can move in."

Eiri fought the urge to smile. "Excited or something?"

Shuichi hopped back into his lap and hugged him. "Yes! Yuki and I are moving into our very own house!"

Eiri pulled his lover close and kissed him. "Mm... But first..." He moved down and began nibbling on the boy's throat, making his desire known. Shuichi laughed and sprawled back on the couch, yanking off his shirt as his partner loomed over him and started removing his own clothing.

. . .

From the doorway a certain seventeen year-old with a cat on his head (and blood dripping down his scalp) watched as the couple made love. He sighed with disappointment.

_Now why didn't I think to bring my video camera?_

._  
_  
_End chapter forty-two_


	43. Chapter 43 Behold the Cuteness

**Fleeting Inspiration**  
by Anna Sartin

. . .

**Chapter 43:** Behold the Cuteness of the Shu-kitty!

.

"Do you remember how we wound up on the floor?" Shuichi asked later. They'd began their coupling on the couch, but somehow during the process they'd wound up on the floor surrounded by the books and magazines Tatsuha had piled everywhere.

"Not really," the blond responded, stroking his boyfriend's fluffy head with one hand and petting Mr. Fuzzy with the other. "But something's digging into my back..." He sat up and reached behind himself to remove the intrusive object. It was _Four Gay Elves_.

_How did it get there? _Shuichi wondered, as his boyfriend's face contorted into an expression of pure rage and he threw the book across the room. "Are you okay?" the singer asked.

"I need a shower."

"Me too. Let's take one together!"

"I'm not in the mood."

Shuichi staring longingly as Eiri got to his feet and stalked out of the room. His lover's bare ass seemed to wave good-bye to him until it was out of sight. He turned around and glared at the loathsome object that had instantly soured his boyfriend's mood. "You are SO dead!"

. . .

"You taped it to the CEILING?"

"Yes! Now it won't follow you or turn up in any weird places!" Shuichi crossed arms and grinned with satisfaction.

"How did you get it UP there?" Eiri asked, toweling his hair dry as he stared up at where the book was being held up with duct tape.

"I borrowed a ladder and some duct tape from the maintenance guy downstairs."

"I'm going to laugh if it falls on your head."

A knock at the door distracted Shuichi before he could reply and he went to answer it. It was Ryuichi, carrying a large pile of stuffed animals.

"Sakuma-san! Come in!"

He did so, and Eiri decided to escape to his study before he got caught up in the insanity that always seemed to follow the childlike 33 year-old around. Mr. Fuzzy followed him out of the room.

Tatsuha, forgetting that he was supposed to be hiding, flew into the room and tackled the pop star to the ground, sending the pile of stuffed animals flying everywhere. "My honey, I missed you soooo much!" he cooed, squeezing the life (and oxygen) out of the older man.

"I don't think he can breathe," Shuichi told him, wondering when the teenager had gotten back and how he'd gotten back into the apartment without him noticing. _Maybe he came back when I went to get the ladder..._

"Oh, sorry!" Tatsuha laughed, letting go. "I missed you!"

"I missed Tatsuha, too," Ryuichi said, grabbing a blue rabbit from the pile on the floor. "And Kumagoro brought you a present! See?"

Tatsuha hands started shaking as he took the stuffed animal. Ryuichi was _giving_ him something! They'd been together for a while now but his boyfriend/lover/honey/god had never _given _him anything before. He stared at the man in worshipful awe. "For... me?" he breathed.

"Yes."

_Ryuichi is giving me a present! _

"His name is Kurosaki and he's Kumagoro's friend," the singer explained.

"What about all these?" Shuichi asked as he picked up the rest of the stray plushies and piled them on a chair.

"They're all Kumagoro's friends too, but Kurosaki is _special_."

"How come?" the younger singer asked.

"Because he's for Tatsuha, silly!"

Shuichi laughed. "Uh... right. So how was your trip?" he asked, noticing the pile of drool that Tatsuha was currently depositing all over the floor. He began wiping it up while Ryuichi rattled on about the "awesome time" he'd had with Tohma and Noriko. Tatsuha clutched "Kurosaki" tightly to his chest as he fawned/drooled over his God like the lovesick, star-struck teenager he was. After a while Shuichi gave up on wiping the puddle at the young monk's feet and went to get a mop instead.

"Tatsuha? Tatsuha?"

"Huh?" was his less-than-intelligent reply when he suddenly realized that his God was talking to him.

"Where's Mr. Fuzzy?"

Tatsuha looked around for the kitten. _Where is that mean little shit?_

Ryuichi's eyes began to water. "You didn't lose him, did you?"

"No, of course not! He's around here somewhere..."

"Mr. Fuuuuuzzyyyy!" the singer called, and the kitten came running into the room. "Mr. Fuzzy! There you are!" Ryuichi laughed, picking the kitten up. It bit him. Tatsuha turned red with rage, prepared to pry the demon cat off his honey and kick it out the window for tearing his god's sacred flesh; but Ryuichi only laughed and hugged him. "You're so cute and fuzzy!"

_More like mean and vicious... _Tatsuha thought, wondering where his honey had picked up the demonic little creature.

Eiri, meanwhile, had come out of his study to find out what had caused the kitten to suddenly jump off his lap and take off like a bat out of hell. The author had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach as he watched Ryuichi perch the little gray furball on his shoulder. "Were you good for Tatsu-kun?" the singer asked, petting the kitten fondly. Eiri's heart sank.

The pop star had come to take the kitten away.

He opened his mouth to protest, but closed it quickly before he made a fool of himself. What could he say, after all? The cat wasn't his, and he wasn't about to admit being attached to it. "I'm _not _attached," he told himself as he headed back to the study. "I don't give a damn about that idiot or his cat. I don't care!"

. . .

"Yuki?" Shuichi called, knocking on the door of his study after Tatsuha and Ryuichi were gone. He'd seen the crushed look on his lover's face when he saw Ryuichi with Mr. Fuzzy. "Yuki?"

No answer.

"Yuki, please come out."

"Go away."

"I know you're going to miss Mr. Fuzzy, but-"

"I don't give a fuck about that moron's cat!"

"We can get kitten of our own. A nicer one! We can go to the pet shop and-"

"I don't want another kitten, I told you that! Just leave me the hell alone!"

The singer closed his eyes and leaned against the door, sighing sadly. Instead of spending the day together getting ready to move, they were going to spend it with a closed door between them.

_Not if I can help it... _Shuichi decided, dashing off with renewed determination. He had an idea.

. . .

When Eiri stepped out of his study sometime later, he found Shuichi sitting outside the door dressed in a cat costume. The pink-haired boy smiled sweetly, trying to look as cute as possible. "Meow!"

"What are you doing, you idiot?" the blond asked, trying to steel himself against the cuteness.

"I'm a cat!" Shuichi explained. "Yuki wanted a cat, so I'm giving him one! See?" He pointed to the nametag he'd tied around his neck. It read "For Yuki".

"I never said I wanted a cat," Eiri replied stubbornly, even as he felt his heart swell with emotion. Shuichi never stopped finding new ways of letting him know how much he was loved. And he loved him for it. His eyes began to water.

"Aw, but I'm a very good cat!" Shuichi said. "I'll sleep in your lap and purr in your ear and lick your face. And if you want I can even bite you!"

At the mention of "licks" and "bites" Eiri felt his nether regions awaken. Why did the boy have to be so damned _cute?_ The sight of his little lover in that ridiculous get-up was actually starting to excite him. _Oh, the hell with it..._

"All right Shu-_neko_," he said, picking Shuichi up and carrying him to the bedroom. "Let's see what you've got!"

_._

_End chapter forty-three_

Author's notes: About Smokey aka "Mr. Fuzzy"

For those who would like to know, "Mr. Fuzzy" is/was based on a kitten who recently came into my life named Smokey. He was completely gray with a fluffy tail and, like Mr. Fuzzy, loved to bite things. We met the day I started writing chapter 31 "A Hostage Situation" and I based Ryuichi's cat after him. He originally belonged to my neighbors, who were planning on dropping him off at a shelter the day they moved out. I took him to keep that from happening and he continued to fill me with kitty inspiration for Mr. Fuzzy's personality. He fell ill while I was working on chapter 33 but recovered, only to fall ill again during the time I was writing chapter 36. He was unable to sit or stand up, and he was hospitalize so the vet could find out what was wrong with him. He tested positive for FIV (the feline version of AIDS) and X-rays revealed a cancerous growth in his lungs. On the day I posted chapter 36 "Dojinshi Contention" Smokey died. He was around 4 or 5 months old. What are the changes of adopting a kitten with FIV and cancer? What could a four month-old baby possibly do to deserve to suffer like that? I have no answer, but Smokey will be remembered and will live on as "Mr. Fuzzy" in Fleeting Inspiration.

For those asking about when this fic will end, I plan to end it on Shuichi's 20th birthday. Many have also asked why the chapters are so short. Quite simply, it's so that I can update more frequently and don't spend too long trying to "perfect" one chapter. One of my old Pokémon fics "The Dark Side of Innocence" was on hiatus for years because of my "perfection issues." Also, for those curious about the strange title of this chapter, it's from an avatar I made.


	44. Chapter 44 The Cheetah & the Antlion

**Fleeting Inspiration**  
by Anna Sartin

. . .

**Chapter 44:** The Cheetah and the Antlion

.

By the end of the day Shuichi was an expert on playing "The Neko Game".

The game was Eiri's creation, and had only one rule: Shuichi could do whatever he wanted as long as he didn't take his cat ears off. He silently thanked his lucky stars for the Loveless booth he'd purchased them from. It was the first time ever in their relationship the dominate blond had let him take the reins in their lovemaking, so the singer took his time to explore his lover's body slowly, lovingly, worshipfully. He loved the sounds that his partner made as he explored each new area of his body with his hands and mouth; knowing that he was the cause of those sounds was the ultimate aphrodisiac. But despite the fact that Yuki was being uncharacteristically generous with his body, Shuichi wasn't sure if the older man was willing or comfortable with letting himself be penetrated and he didn't want to ruin the moment by pushing his luck. So he tried (unsuccessfully) to ride his lover. Doing so proved to be far too painful and difficult with his lack of experience. He couldn't prepare himself properly, and his lover's considerable size only added to the problem. Yuki had laughed at him (he might have been proud of himself for getting the blond to laugh had it not been due to his own ineptitude) and told him that if he was going to be on top he might as well do it the proper way.

What transpired next had been nothing short of incredible.

Shuichi didn't have his partner's stamina, so he gave it everything he had in a race to see who would finish first. To his amazement Yuki reached his peak before him, another first in their relationship. Afterwards he lay curled up on his side, still in awe of how different being on top was. Being surrounded by the warmth and tightness of Eiri's passage, the struggle to find and correctly hit that secret spot hidden within him that actually made the usually stoic man cry out with passion and urge him on, and the _look_ on his face as he came... That look was going to give him a hard-on for weeks. _I want to do that again... I want to see that look again._

Eiri, meanwhile, lay in a haze of contentment on the other side of the bed, planning on stashing the cat ears his little lover was still wearing in the drawer with the flavored lube, furry handcuffs and other things that they used to liven up their sex life. He was also planning on buying the brat a collar with a PROPERTY OF EIRI YUKI name tag. He'd definitely developed a fetish for cat boys.

. . .

The next day Tatsuha was back with Kurosaki in tow. When he questioned his brother as to why he hadn't done any packing the previous day, Eiri told him to mind his own business and put him to work cleaning up the mess he'd left in the living room. Originally Eiri had wanted him to take his shit home, but Shuichi pointed out that since they were giving him the apartment anyway they might as well just set everything aside since it would just end up back here anyway.

"You sure have a lot of dirty magazines," Shuichi commented as he helped sort through the piles of books and magazines scattered all over the floor. "Especially for a monk! Look at these! Playboy... Playgirl... Play_thing?_"

Tatsuha snatched the pile from him and shoved everything in a box.

"Hey what's this?" the singer asked, holding up a large, hardbound book titled _The Gay Man's Kama Sutra_.

"Will you hurry up and get that shit picked up?" Eiri scolded from the other end of the room, but Shuichi was already flipping through the pages, enthralled. It was filled with graphic pictures of men in various sexual positions, along with detailed descriptions of how to perform them. Pretty soon Tatsuha had joined him and the two were comparing them and sharing their experiences.

Eiri rolled his eyes as he boxed up Shuichi's CDs and Playstation games and stacked the box on top of a box of books. They were never going to get finished. "Hey what's this?" he heard Shuichi ask.

"According to this book gay men come in five types," Tatsuha explained. "The bear, the antelope, the lion, the snake and the cheetah. Aniki and I are the antelope."

Shuichi skimmed over the entry for the Antelope.  
_  
...Their sleekness belies a hidden strength and they possess great stamina. As lovers they will be persistent and lovemaking sessions with these men will be extended and demanding..._

Shuichi blushed as he remembered yesterday. Yuki _definitely_ possessed great stamina.

Antelopes are very difficult to hold down, and they will range far and wide in search for sexual adventure and new pastures. The maintenance of long-term relationships is not the antelope's strong point, so if you share pleasure with one, then you will have to accept that he will also probably be seeking different excitements elsewhere.

Shuichi felt chill run down his spine. That sounded _exactly_ like Yuki when they'd first met. But he had changed since then, right? He was committed to their relationship; they were buying a house together! Still... the thought made him glance over at his lover doubtfully. _Yuki wasn't exactly thrilled when I first asked him if we were buying the house together..._The look on his boyfriend's face had been that of a deer caught in the headlights: frightened and confused. Shuichi shifted his gaze back to the book in his hands and stared blankly at the open page. What if in the long run what they had together wasn't enough to satisfy Yuki? He had never been in a long-term relationship before Shuichi had come along (not that he knew of, anyway). The popular author had had his pick of lovers every night, and Shuichi wondered if Yuki would one day regret giving that up to be with him. He shook his head, trying to rid himself of such thoughts. Yuki loved him, and that was that!

He swallowed his insecurities and read the next entry. The lion was noted for being strong and physically intimidating...

_His face is often fixed in an expression of suspicion and challenge, which some can find intimidating. Life is serious business for the lion and he will not be noted for his humor. As with the lion on the plains of Africa, you need to treat this man with caution, for his monstrous strength and occasional ferocity may one day be used to dominate you in ways that you may not enjoy. A tamed lion, though, can be loyal and protective. He will defend his territory and his mate against all threats, with fearsome determination._

"That sounds more like Yuki," he said, pointing to the entry.

"Lions are more muscular," Tatsuha replied. "Aniki's build is too slender."

"But he's still really strong," Shuichi responded. "Especially when he gets mad. And the lion's personality matches him exactly."

"You think so?"

"Yep. I think he's got the body of the antelope and the personality of the lion."

"Will you two get to work?" Eiri asked, annoyed. It was bad enough that they were slacking off in front of him, but did they have to talk about him like he wasn't there?

"I wonder what type I am?" Shuichi mused.

"Oh, you're definitely the cheetah," Tatsuha said. "My honey is too."

Shuichi read the entry for the cheetah:

_This man will retain a youthful build throughout his life, willowy, slight and with more than a touch of androgyny..._

"What's "androgyny"?" he asked.

"I means you look like a girl," Tatsuha teased.

"I do not!"

_The cheetah's body and face will be free from hair, or the hair he does have will be soft and downy. His face will be smooth and pretty rather than handsome, with large, questioning eyes. For all their innocence, those eyes will speak of the promise of a thousand pleasures to come. The Cheetah seems too lightweight to be threatening, but this is misleading. As a lover, the Cheetah will give you all the pleasure of innocent youth with the depth of eroticism of an experienced lover._

"You're definitely the cheetah," Eiri said, reading over his boyfriend's shoulder.

Shuichi blushed and closed the book. "Well, you're an antlion!" he informed Eiri, turning around to poke him in the chest.

"A what?" Tatsuha asked, scratching his head.

"An antlion. Yuki's a combination of the antelope and the lion, so he's an antlion!"

"Antlion? Isn't that another animal?" Tatsuha asked.

"Is it?"

"I think so..."

"It's an insect," Eiri informed them. "It digs sand traps to catch other bugs to eat."

"Oh, you mean doodlebugs!" said Tatsuha. "I've seen those things before."

"Can I borrow this?" Shuichi asked Tatsuha, holding up _The Gay Man's Kama Sutra_.

Tatsuha nodded. "Sure."

. . .

"What's left?" Tatsuha asked when they'd finished the living room. Shuichi had disappeared into the kitchen to make tea.

"I could use some help packing the study," Eiri admitted, as he sat with his feet propped up on the coffee table. "And there's still Riku's room to do, too." The bedroom he and Shuichi shared also needed done, but he preferred to do that alone. There were certain things he didn't want his brother or his lover to see, like the poster of Shuichi he'd strategically hidden in his closet.

Shuichi came in carrying three cups of tea on a tray, and nearly dropped it as he stubbed his toe on a box. "OW!"

"Don't drop that!" Eiri warned. "You make a mess in here and I'll mop it up with your head!"

"I vote doing the kid's room!" Tatsuha said. "You guys can pack the study!"

"Wouldn't it be faster if we all worked together?" Shuichi asked, setting the tray down on the coffee table.

"Last time I helped Aniki pack his books he yelled at me for a week for getting _fingerprints _on them. I finally had to buy him new ones just to get him off my back."

"Fingerprints?" Shuichi asked, giving Eiri an odd look.

"He had rice flour all over his hands," Eiri replied. "He got the shit all over the place."

"I promised I'd never touch your stupid books again and I meant it!" With that Tatsuha grabbed his stuffed rabbit and headed for Riku's room.

"Tatsuha, wait!" Shuichi called after him. "What about your tea?"

Eiri got up and stretched, deciding what he really needed was a cigarette. He still had half a pack stashed in the glove compartment of his car, and if he hurried he could go down there and have a smoke before Shuichi came down to check up on him.

"I'll be back," he told the singer as he headed for the front door.

"Where are you going?"

"To get some air," he lied, hoping Shuichi didn't try to follow him. He'd made it about halfway to the front door when he heard the door to Riku's room slam, causing The Book taped to the ceiling to come loose and fall on his head.

_.  
_  
_End chapter forty-four_

* * *

Author's note:Special thanks to Spinsterhood Is Powerful for their assistance in researching "The Gay Man's Kama Sutra".


	45. Chapter 45 Yoshi Eto & the Jesus Mobile

**Fleeting Inspiration**  
by Anna Sartin

**Chapter 45:** Yoshi Eto and the Jesus-Mobile

. . .

Tatsuha came out of Riku's room a few hours later to find that his brother had locked himself in his study. Shuichi was sitting patiently outside the door like a faithful dog. "How long has he been in there?" Tatsuha inquired.

"Ever since he got hit on the head with a book," was the singer's reply.

Tatsuha decided not to ask. "Well, I finished the kid's room. I even remembered to take the glow-in-the-dark stars off the ceiling."

"Thank you," Shuichi responded, smiling sincerely. He'd bought them for Riku last month and the boy had told every person he'd encountered about them since. It was the first thing he'd told his "Aunt" Yoshiki about over the phone, and she'd promised to take him to a real observatory when he came to America to visit. _I wonder how many times he's dragged her back since? _Shuichi wondered, smiling. He was planning on getting some glow-in-the-dark planets to add to Riku's makeshift planetarium when he rebuilt it in the new house.

"Aniki!" Tatsuha called, banging on the door of the study. "How long are you going to stay in there?"

To his (and Shuichi's) surprise the door opened immediately. The author walked out carrying his laptop in one hand and _Four Gay Elves _in the other. "The study's finished," he announced. Tatsuha took a peek inside. The bookcases were completely empty, Eiri's desk had been cleaned off and everything had been boxed and stacked by the door. "I'm hungry," he announced, following the other two men into the living room. "Let's eat."

"I'm hungry too, Yuki," Shuichi added, keeping a safe distance away from the book the blond was carrying. The sight of it made him shiver, due to the fact the he never knew how his lover was going to act (or react) in its presence.

"Well, what do you expect me to do about it?" Eiri asked, squeezing the lighter in his pocket hard enough to make his hand hurt. He was dying for cigarette. He'd searched the apartment from top to bottom and he still couldn't find where Shuichi had hidden them.

"Can we order take out?" Tatsuha asked.

"If you go get it," was the blond's reply.

"I can't carry food back on my motorcycle!" Tatsuha protested.

Eiri took a deep breath and slowly pulled the lighter from his pocket. _I need a fucking cigarette..._"Fine. Take the car."

Shuichi and Tatsuha exchanged confused glances. Eiri was _offering_ to let someone use his car? The one thing he had professed to love more than his family and his lover put together? Tatsuha dashed off immediately, deciding not to look a gift horse in the mouth. Shuichi just stood there, staring at his lover as he debated with himself over whether or not _Four Gay Elves _had the power to enslave Yuki's mind. "Do you want me to get rid of that?" he asked hopefully, pointing to the book. "I can throw it in a garbage can somewhere..."

"No. Just go."

_Oh God, it's taken over his mind! _Shuichi thought frantically as he scurried after Tatsuha, slamming the door behind him.

As soon as they were both gone Eiri sprang into action and grabbed one of Tatsuha's boxes. He'd had plenty of time to come up with a new plan to get rid of _Four Gay Elves _while he was packing the study, and he'd come up with the perfect idea when he'd noticed one of Tatsuha's books mixed in with his. If he couldn't rid himself of the thing by throwing it away, maybe he could solve his problem by trying a different tactic. He shoved the book in Tatsuha's box of magazines and closed it.

_If I can't get rid of the damn thing, I'll just leave it here!_

Satisfied that all was well (or as well as could be expected with that thing still under his roof) he decided to go in search of a cigarette.

.

We've got to save him, Tatsuha!" Shuichi insisted as they drove to the Sushi Shack. They'd played "Rock, Paper, Scissors" to determine who got to decide what to eat and Tatsuha had won.

"Save him from _WHAT?_"

"It's possessing his mind, I know it is!"

"Maybe he bonded with it while he was packing," Tatsuha joked. "They say quality bonding time can improve any relationship."

"Tatsuhaaaa!"

"Okay, seriously; maybe he just decided that getting so worked up over a book is silly. Or maybe he has his own plan to get rid of it."

"Maybe... but could you do an exorcism just in case?"

"I'm NOT exorcising my brother!"

"Please?"

"No! I already exorcised that stupid book."

"But I really think-," Shuichi began, but his train of thought was suddenly broken as they turned onto 4th street. "Hey, stop the car!" he yelled. The tires came to a screeching halt as Tatsuha did as he was told. "I know that guy!" Shuichi said, pointing to a young man who was kicking the tires of a car with green crosses spray painted on it. He was swearing loudly in English.

"That guy?" Tatsuha asked, looking to where Shuichi was pointing. He was about to ask who the man was when he noticed Shuichi was already out of the car running to greet his friend.

"Yoshi!"

Yoshi Eto looked up. "Shuichi?"

"What are you doing here?" they both asked at the same time.

"What happened?" Shuichi asked.

"I was visiting my grandfather and was about to head home when I found out some bastard did THIS to my car!"

"What's going on?" Tatsuha asked, joining the two friends.

"Somebody spray-painted graffiti all over his car," Shuichi explained, as if it weren't perfectly obvious.

"And slashed my tires, too!" Yoshi told them, giving the one nearest him a swift kick. He was starting to hate Japan.

"All of them?" Tatsuha asked.

"All four!" Yoshi responded.

Shuichi took a closer look at the graffiti on the windshield. Green crosses... He turned rather green himself as a sudden realization dawned on him. "Tatsuha?"

"What?"

"We're on 4th Street, aren't we?"

"Yes, unfortunately..." the young monk responded. "Do you think it was her?"

Shuichi shrugged. "I don't know... Maybe..."

"What are you guys talking about?" Yoshi asked, following them as they walked down the street to the alley where the homeless foreign woman lived.

"There's a religious nutcase-" Shuichi started to explain, but he was interrupted when Tatsuha suddenly shouted, "Look!"

They did. The brick walls of "The Daily Bread" now had green crosses spray-painted on them. Shuichi groaned. "Not her again..." Only one upside-down box remained from the last time Shuichi had been there, on which sat a chipped, weather-worn statue of the Virgin Mary. Shuichi approached the statue and touched it, wondering what dumpster the crazy woman had plucked it out of. It smelled like dead fish.

"GET AWAY FROM MY ALTER!" the homeless woman screamed, poking her head out of a rolled up carpet. They all jumped. Shuichi bumped the box with the statue on it and it fell off, hitting the ground and causing the head to break off.

"Are you the one who vandalized my car?" Yoshi demanded as the woman crawled out of the carpet and retrieved her now-headless statue. She placed it back on the box and ignored him. She scooped up the head next and shoved it in her pocket.

"Um... miss?" Shuichi asked. "Did you spray-paint the car down the street?

"What?" she asked in English.

"My CAR!" Yoshi shouted, also in English as he pointed in the direction of his vehicle. "Did you slash my tires and spray-paint it!"

"That instrument of the Devil? I purified it!"

Tatsuha snickered, while Shuichi stared at them blankly. His English skills were limited to the random words and incoherent phases that he used in his lyrics, so he was completely lost. "What are they saying?" he asked, looking to Tatsuha for clarification.

"Well," Tatsuha began, as the two bickered back and forth in their native language, "From what I understand she thinks that the devil is sending cars to try to kill her so she built a church for protection. Your friend says he's going to call the police, _she _says he needs to be saved from Satan, he called her a lunatic and I couldn't understand what they were saying after that." By this time the two former Americans had begun using a considerable amount of profane words that Tatsuha (naturally) had never been taught in high school, and now he too was lost.

"Church?" Shuichi asked, confused.

"Look around!" Tatsuha said, spreading his arms to illustrate him point. "The crosses, the statue, the telephone directory with the cross drawn on the cover..."

Shuichi looked around. "This is supposed to be a church? She told me it was a restaurant..."

"It looked like a carpet shop last time I was here," Tatsuha said. "I guess she changes her mind a lot."

Yoshi finally gave up arguing with woman and stalked back to his car, disgusted. "Where is the nearest police station?" he asked, when Shuichi and Tatsuha caught up with him.

"Not far," Tatsuha said. "We can take you there if you want."

"Why don't you come home with us?" Shuichi offered. "You can figure out what to do about your car over dinner."

"I don't want to impose..."

"You were coming to visit on Friday anyway," Shuichi pointed out. "So what if you're a day or two early?"

"And it's not like you're going to get very far in the Jesus-Mobile right now, anyway," Tatsuha added, pointing to the young man's vandalized car.

"I suppose you're right," Yoshi said, staring at his car glumly. It had been a gift from his grandfather on his 20th birthday, and he hadn't had it very long. _I swear I'll get that crazy bitch for this!_ he vowed as he climbed into his friends' car. They rode past the _"The Daily Bread" _where the homeless woman was now bowing before her makeshift alter and praying to her now-headless statue.

_End chapter forty-five_

* * *

Author's note: For those asking, Riku appears in the new Gravitation EX manga currently running in Japan. He is the orphaned son of Yuki Kitazawa.


	46. Chapter 46 Lovers' Quarrel

Fleeting Inspiration  
by Anna Sartin

.

Chapter 46: Lovers' Quarrel

They never made it to the Sushi Shack, much to Tatsuha's disappointment. It took forever to file a report at the police station and even longer to get Yoshi's car towed to a repair shop. By the time they were finished everyone was famished and Shuichi insisted that they just get something on the way home. He was all but certain that his Yuki must be "dying of hunger" waiting for them. Tatsuha turned to Yoshi for support only to find that the other man didn't care much for Japanese food.

"I want curry!" Shuichi announced.

"Sounds good to me," Yoshi agreed.

Outnumbered and too hungry to argue, Tatsuha gave up. "Curry it is, then," he sighed. He pouted the whole way back, even the thrill of getting to drive his brother's Cabriolet couldn't lighten his mood. Indian food was fine and all, but lately he'd been eating it several times a week (Ryuichi loved curry) and he was getting sick of it. Besides, he wanted sushi,damn it!

He was still brooding when they arrived back at the apartment but all thoughts of sushi vanished from his mind when they found Eiri sitting in his Mercedes smoking a cigarette.

"I thought the doctor said he wasn't allowed to smoke until he was well?" Tatsuha asked Shuichi.

"He's _not!_" Shuichi marched over and banged on the car window, causing Eiri to snapped out of his nicotine induced haze.

_Oh shit... _After decimating the pack in his glove compartment the novelist had driven to the convenience store to buy more. Judging by the looks on their faces Shuichi and Tatsuha both realized what he'd done and neither looked happy about it. He put out the cigarette he was currently smoking, realizing that the number of butts in the ashtray (along with the empty pack sitting on the dashboard) had been a dead giveaway.

Shuichi opened the car door and was hit by blast of smoke that threw him into a coughing fit.

"Get the hell away from here, you idiot!" Eiri shouted, getting out of the car and pushing him away. Shuichi took a few more steps back, still coughing violently. Eiri slammed the door shut and stormed into the apartment building. Tatsuha followed close behind with the food, while Yoshi helped the still-coughing singer in the door.

.

Dinner was a somewhat awkward affair for Tatsuha and Yoshi considering their hosts were not speaking. Shuichi hadn't said a word to his lover since they'd come in and Eiri wasn't feeling inclined to talk either, so Tatsuha had attempted to filled the awkward silence by asking Yoshi about himself and how he'd met his brother and Shuichi. Yoshi, for his part, attempted to start a conversation when he noticed that Tatsuha was running out of questions, but he only succeeded in getting curt, one-word answers from Shuichi. Eiri said nothing at all. Eventually the author left the table and retreated to another part of the apartment, while Shuichi began clearing the table silently.

"You want to go out for a while?" Tatsuha asked Yoshi. He'd barely touched his food and thoughts of sushi were again dancing in his head. Maybe they could go somewhere that had _real_ food and he could teach the foreigner to appreciate the wonders of Japanese cuisine.

"We just got here," Yoshi answered, feeling it would be rather rude to his hosts to disappear with one of their relatives.

"Do you really want to stick around while they give each other the silent treatment?" Tatsuha whispered.

"Not really," the other man whispered back.

"Then let's give them time to make up. Come on, I'll introduce you to my honey!"

"You've got a girlfriend?" Yoshi asked as they headed for the door. Tatsuha laughed as he slipped into his shoes and grabbed his jacket, shoving Kurosaki into one of the pockets as he put it on. Yoshi slipped on his own shoes and followed him out the door. "So what's with the rabbit?" he asked.

"My honey gave him to me," Tatsuha informed him, grinning proudly. How many people could say they'd been given a plushie by THE Ryuichi Sakuma?

Shuichi actually laughed as he heard Yoshi ask, "So is your girlfriend hot?"

.

"I told you I wasn't promising anything," Eiri said, when Shuichi joined him in the bedroom. The two men lay back-to-back in the murky darkness, both longing for the warmth and comfort of the other's presence but neither wanting to meet the other's gaze.

"I know," was the singer's flat, lifeless reply.

"I can't stop smoking all at once just because you want me to," Eiri told his partner.

"I know."

"So are you going to actually talk to me, or are you no longer capable of forming complete sentences?"

"I don't want to fight with you, Yuki."

_Why the hell did he even come in here if he doesn't want to talk?_ "Fine," the blond answered, rolling onto his stomach. If the brat didn't want to talk, fuck him. His stomach felt like it was on fire and truth be told he didn't feel much like talking either. He silently debated rather or not it would be worth dragging himself all the way back to the kitchen to get some coffee and take his medication, but in the end he decided against it. He felt light-headed and the fire in his stomach seemed to settle down somewhat if he stayed still. He closed his eyes, praying that sleep would come quickly and alleviate his pain. The sound of Shuichi's soft weeping caused his eyes to snap back open. _God damn it! I don't want to deal with this!_ He rolled back over to face the singer.

"Hey."

Shuichi buried his face in his pillow and ignored him.

"What the fuck is your problem!" Eiri shouted, tired of this childish game. He forced himself into a sitting position and his stomach protested painfully. "If you're pissed off then talk to me! You never have any problem opening your mouth any other time!"

"I don't want you to die!" Shuichi shouted.

"What?"

"I don't want you to _die_, Yuki!" Before Eiri could respond to that, the singer was in his arms, sobbing as if his heart would break. "I don't want to lose you, but you never listen to _anything_ the doctor tells you to do! You don't eat enough, you forget to take your medicine and you're still smoking even though she said not to. You're never going to get well if you don't take care of yourself!"

"Look, this is my problem, not yours."

"So I'm just supposed to sit around and watch you kill yourself? I LOVE you, Yuki! And so does Riku! Do think he wants to lose another father?"

"I am NOT that boy's father!"

The expression on Shuichi's face went from pained to utterly crushed, causing a wave of guilt to hit Eiri like a ton of bricks. For whatever reason Riku had loved them both from the moment they'd met the boy at his father's grave site. Eiri had tried to keep him at arm's length (much like he'd tried to do with Shuichi when they first met), while Shuichi had done just the opposite and immediately accepted the child into their lives. He knew how attached Shuichi was to the kid; in his lover's mind the boy was already part of their family. No formal papers had ever been drawn up to legally adopt him, but they'd given the idea serious consideration. _So the boy can be enrolled in school_, Eiri told himself, not yet ready to admit his own attachment to Yuki Kitazawa's son. But whenever he thought too deeply on the matter the other side of his brain told him that he couldn't possibly do such a thing, that the very idea was insane. How could he possibly adopt the very child that he himself had orphaned?

"I know we didn't have a lot of say in the matter," Shuichi almost whispered, trying to control his sobbing, "but can you really say you're sorry we kept him?"

Eiri looked away. "No."

Shuichi wiped his tears and took his lover's hands. "Yuki, I _love_ you... more than anything else in the world. Please, _please_ don't do this to yourself anymore."

"I told you, I can't just stop smoking because you and that quack doctor want me to."

"I know, but... can't you just smoke ONE cigarette when you really _really_ need it? If you keep smoking as much as you did earlier your ulcer's never going to get better."

Just hearing the word "ulcer" made the pain in Eiri's stomach flare up.

"I know it's not easy for you," Shuichi went on. "and I figured you'd need a cigarette every once in a while until you kicked the habit, but I can't believe you'd wait until I was gone and smoke a whole pack at once!"

Eiri had nothing to say to that. He knew full well his pain was the result of disobeying his physician's instructions. Knowing he didn't have anyone to blame but himself for his current situation only made him feel worse. The fact that he sorely regretted his earlier actions didn't make a bit of difference now; feeling repentant wasn't going to take his pain away.

"Have you taken your medicine?" Shuichi asked, when he noticed his boyfriend was clutching his middle.

"No."

"I'll get it for you then." The boy hopped out off bed and disappeared out of the room, returning a minute later with a cup of water and Eiri's pills. "I'm sorry, we shouldn't have brought back that spicy food."

"It's not the curry that caused this."

"Yeah, but I'm sure it didn't help and..." Shuichi looked away, suddenly feeling guilty and ashamed. "I know the stress I've been putting you though since I got home isn't helping either. I'm sorry, Yuki."

Eiri swallowed the pills and laid back down. "It's not your fault."

"Roll over and I'll rub your back, okay?" Shuichi said, getting in his nightstand and rummaging through his collection of massage oils. He found Eiri's favorite scent and closed the drawer. "Your doctor told me that relaxation techniques can sometimes ease ulcer pain."

"I thought you were supposed to be pissed off at me?" Eiri asked, rolling onto his stomach.

"I just don't want to lose you, Eiri," Shuichi said softly. "I think what we have together is worth way too much to just throw away."

"You're a real idiot, you know that?" Eiri responded, hiding a small smile as the singer's skilled hands went to work.

"I know, but I really do love you."

"So you've said. Repeatedly."

"So... try to get well for me, please?"

"I'll try," the tired blond answered, closing his eyes.

"You said that last time," Shuichi reminded him. "Try _harder_."

"Fine. Now shut up and let me sleep."

.

A few hours later, as Shuichi was putting away his nebulizer he heard someone beating on the front door. It was Tatsuha with a very intoxicated Yoshi leaning on him for support. Both were laughing loudly.

"Quiet!" Shuichi hissed at them. "Yuki's asleep!"

"I dun' like American beer na more," Yoshi slurred drunkenly as Tatsuha helped him in the door.

"What happened to him?" Shuichi asked.

"Ryu and I took him to a karaoke bar. Can you believe he'd never been to one?"

"Well, he's a foreigner and he hasn't lived here very long. He's not even used to our food yet."

"This guy might not care for Japanese food, but he sure loves Japanese booze!" Tatsuha laughed, helping Yoshi over to the couch.

"You should have looked after him," Shuichi chided, getting a blanket and covering Yoshi with it.

"What? He's older than I am!"

"He's still new to the country and you're supposed to be a monk!"

"Are you really turning twenty this Sunday?" Tatsuha asked. "You sound like you're a hundred years old. Quit being such a prude!"

"Just how much have YOU had?" the singer inquired. Tatsuha hiccupped in response. "Thought so. Maybe you'd better lay down..."

"Actually, my honey's waiting for me so-"

"Fine, go away then!" Shuichi said crossly. He was tired and he'd been looking forward to joining Yuki in bed, now it looked like he'd be spending the night taking care of his drunken guest instead. _While that bullshit monk gets to spend the night with Ryuichi..._ he thought sourly. It just wasn't fair!

"Hey Shuichi, where's your bathroom?" Yoshi asked.

"That way," Shuichi pointed. "You need help?" he asked, when Yoshi's attempt to get up caused him to roll off the couch and onto the floor.

"Yeah... I think I'm gonna hurl."

And he did.

.

_End chapter forty-six_


	47. Shuichi's Adventures in Celebrity Fanfic

Fleeting Inspiration 47  
by Anna Sartin

.__

Chapter 47: Shuichi's Adventures in Celebrity Fanfiction

Eiri spread his arms and legs out as far as they would go, sighing with contentment.  
Every muscle in his body felt relaxed. The pain in his stomach was also gone, and he decided that if the results of Shuichi's ministrations left him feeling this good in the morning he would have his lover massage him to sleep more often. He was half tempted to go find his brat and put his skilled hands to work again.

_Where is that idiot, I wonder?_

The longer he thought about it, the more Shuichi's absence began to bother him. Normally he enjoyed the extra room that came with having the bed all to himself, but since the incident with the hotel swimming pool a few weeks ago he found that he much preferred waking up to the sight of Shuichi safely beside him (or cuddled against him, or laying on top of him) to waking up alone. Last week he'd gotten up early and made both breakfast and lunch for the singer to take to work just to avoid laying in bed alone. He feared he was developing a complex.

_He ought to be in here resting... I hope he's not trying to make breakfast again._

He tried to ignore the absence of the younger man's warmth, reminding himself that he would be waking up like this everyday once Shuichi returned to work, but the longer he lay there the more restless he became. He also needed to go to the bathroom.

"It's too damn early for this," the grumpy blond muttered, forcing himself to get out of bed.

He secretly hoped Shuichi would be in the shower when he got there so he could join him, but the bathroom was empty. There was a faint odor in the air that made his stomach lurch, which he quickly recognized as the smell of vomit. His pulse quickened. Had Shuichi gotten sick? He quickly relieved his bladder and went in search of his boyfriend. He found him sitting in front of his computer, crying softly.

"What's wrong with you?" Eiri asked, slightly alarmed. "The bathroom sticks. Did you get sick?"

"No. Yoshi went out with Tatsuha and Ryuichi last night and he had too much to drink. He's got a pretty bad hangover over this morning. He says he feels like a trunk ran over his head."

Okay, so he wasn't sick. Next reasonable guess would be that whatever he was looking at on the computer was the source of his distress. Eiri looked over his boyfriend's shoulder. "Celebrity fanfiction?"

"It's terrible!" Shuichi declared. "Do you know the kind of things they write about us!"

"_That's_ what's got you so upset?" Eiri asked, incredulously. _Of all the stupid..._ "Celebrity fanfiction has been around for _years_, moron, and in case you've forgotten the two of us are celebrities."

"But it's _wrong_, Yuki!" Shuichi insisted, tears streaming down his eyes. "People shouldn't be allowed to write things like this about us!"

"What's really going on here, brat? You weren't this upset when you found out someone was publishing pornographic dojinshi about us last year, so why are you so bothered about this now?"

"The dojinshi was hot..." the younger man sniffled "But this stuff... have you READ it, Yuki? Some of these are just awful. There's one here where you keep me locked in a basement and use me as a sex slave."

"That actually doesn't sound too bad," Eiri grinned, wrapping his arms around his lover.

"That's what I thought at first until I started reading it. You beat me, starved me and refused to let me be seen by anyone but you."

Eiri's eyes narrowed in disgust. "Some people have fucked up imaginations."

"You're telling me. At the end of the story I escape and have a threesome with my band."

"Not an image I want rolling around in my head," Eiri remarked blandly. "Did you stay up all night reading this crap?"

"Well, I couldn't sleep last night after reading _this_ one," Shuichi said, pointing to a story on the list titled _Depraved_. "And I had to take care of Yoshi anyway, so I just kept going until I'd read them all. In this one we have a fucked up master/slave relationship where I enjoy having you emotionally screw with my head, hurt me while we're having sex and punish me when I displease you. There's even links for people interested in pursuing that kind of lifestyle in real life!"

Eiri was willing to bet Shuichi had clicked on all the links and been emotionally disturbed by what he'd seen. The boy was far too young and naive not be curious, but his sexual experience was limited to one long-term relationship and a one-time gang rape. What he had seen was probably not settling well in his mind.

"Do people really live like that, Yuki?" the singer asked, proving the author's assumptions to be true. "Allowing themselves to be treated like a slave or a piece of property?"

"Some do, although I can't say I understand what would make such a lifestyle seem appealing."

"It scares me," Shuichi said softly, as he scrolled down the list of stories. "Sure it's fun to play master and servant in bed sometimes-"

"Oh, you're a _very_ good servant," Eiri chuckled, kissing the singer's throat and wrapping his arms around him possessively.

"But the idea of living your life as someone's own private fuck toy is just... creepy. Not to mention degrading."

"If this shit disturbs you so much you shouldn't read it."

"I can't _help_ it! Knowing that people are actually _reading_ this garbage about us just... well... _bothers_ me! And that's not the only thing. Do you how many of these stories involve me getting run down in the street? So far I've been hit by seven cars, three buses, a train and a truck carrying a bunch of your books to the bookstore. I thought Bad Luck had a lot of fans but I'm beginning to think that they secretly hate me!"

"I think you're overreacting."

"I read one where Seguchi-san tried to run me down with a _bulldozer_ to end the rivalry between Bad Luck and Nittle Grasper!" Eiri snickered at the thought of Tohma driving a bulldozer around Tokyo as Shuichi continued to rant. The singer pointed to another link on the computer screen. "In this one I get _pregnant _with Ryuichi's baby and you try to run me down with your car! And do you know how many stories there are about me getting raped? It makes me sick!""

"People having been putting garbage on the internet for years," Eiri said, looking over his boyfriend's shoulder. "I'll ask Tohma to notify this site about having this crap removed but in the meantime the best thing you can do is stay away from it."

"It just really _bothers_ me, you know? I hate being portrayed as the "abused wife"..."

"You're embarrassed because some of these stories are degrading to you?"

Shuichi swirled around in the chair to face his partner. Eiri noticed that the singer had bags under his eyes from his long night of web-surfing and caring for their drunken guest. "I'm ANGRY because they make you out to be some kind of monster!"

"I find it hard to believe that everything you read depicted me as a psychotic wife-beater," Eiri responded. Before Shuichi had come into his life he'd visited similar websites filled with stories where he was portrayed as the stereotypical Prince Charming who swept lonely school girls off their feet and led them to a better life. Every story seemed to follow the same cliched formula and end with them either getting married or dying together "for the sake of love". At least the creativity level of his fans had evolved somewhat since then.

"No, but even then it wasn't right. You were so nice it was _creepy_. It was like you'd been abducted by aliens and replaced with some character out of a romance novel. None of them captured the _real_ you."

"That's because none of those people know the real me," Eiri said, turning off the computer and helping Shuichi to his feet. "Now stop thinking about it and let's find something to eat." His lover was always overly-emotional when he was upset or tired (doubly so when he was both) and spending the night obsessing over what Buddha would have called "mind pollution" probably wasn't good for anyone's emotional health. He made a mental note to make sure the boy got some much-needed rest once they'd eaten.

"Are you feeling better?" Shuichi asked, searching the blond's face for any signs of pain as they left the room.

"Better than last night." _Thanks to you._

"Hey, Yuki?"

"What?"

"Do you ever wish that I was somebody else?"

"Huh?" Eiri stopped and stared at his pink-haired companion. "Somebody else?"

"You know, like maybe somebody smarter or better in bed or... maybe... somebody who could give you children?" The last three words were almost a whisper.

"We've already got one brat to look after, and if I wanted a woman I'd be with one." Eiri responded. He was somewhat disturbed at how a full night of exposing his mind to other people's twisted perversions had the ability to make his usually confident partner so insecure. "And there's nothing wrong with our sex life," he added, almost as an afterthought.

"I'm sorry," Shuichi whispered, latching onto the older man and burying his face in his chest. "It's just... after reading all those different versions of me that people made up in their heads I started wondering if maybe there was a different version of me that you'd rather have, too."

The taller man rested his chin on his boyfriend's head. "Is there a "different version" of me that you'd prefer to have, as opposed to the person I am now?"

"No, of course not, Yuki! I love you for who you are! I mean, sure I wished you'd stop smoking and take better care of yourself, and sometimes I really wish I could make you happy when I know you're not, but I don't want to change who you are!"

"Exactly. Don't let other people's sick fantasies make you doubt the validity of what we have."

Before Shuichi could respond Eiri kissed him, attempting to physically convey his feelings. The phone interrupted them, and it took Shuichi a few seconds to snap back into reality. He ran to answer it while Eiri continued on to the living room to see what state their guest was in before starting breakfast.

Yoshi was sprawled out on the couch with a bag of frozen peas on his forehead. Judging by the dark circles under his eyes he obviously hadn't slept well, if he had slept at all.

"First hangover?" Eiri inquired.

"First in a while," Yoshi answered. "My head feels like someone's been using it for batting practice. Last time I got this wasted was after graduation. My sister hit me over the head with... something... Damn, I don't really remember much from that night."

"Do you remember _last_ night?" Eiri asked

Yoshi laughed weakly. "Not really."

"It's common for Americans to overindulge their first time drinking Japanese beer. It's a lot stronger than the watered down crap they sell over there."

"The bottles are bigger, too," Yoshi hiccupped. "Once I started I couldn't stop."

"Your sister's on the phone," Shuichi announced, coming into the room. He held out the phone but his lover refused to take it.

"Tell her I'm dead."

"He says he's dead," Shuichi informed Mika.

"You don't get along with your sister?" Yoshi asked. Eiri made a scoffing noise and waited for Shuichi to pass on Mika's response.

"She wants to talk to you. She says if you don't get on the phone she'll send Tohma over when he's done bailing Tatsuha and Ryuichi out of jail."

"_Jail?_" Eiri and Yoshi echoed in unison. Eiri grabbed the phone from his boyfriend and asked, "What did those idiots do now?"

Shuichi moved over to Yoshi and tried to remove the bag of peas from his guest's forehead but the other man latched onto it with a vice grip, whimpering. "It's starting to melt," the singer explained. "I'll bring you the frozen mushrooms next." He tried again to reclaim his vegetables, but the hand clutching them held fast.

"Mushrooms first. I'm holding your peas hostage until then."

Shuichi laughed. "Okay. I'll be right back."

"Why does this always have to be MY problem!" Eiri yelled into the phone. "He's not my responsibility!"

"Stop shouting, _please_!" Yoshi begged. "My head is killing me!"

"The police found them _naked?_"

"Naked?" Yoshi repeated, wondering if he'd misheard. In his current state every new sound felt like a new species of pain breeding in his throbbing skull, so he didn't completely trust his hearing at the moment. His host continued to yell into the receiver, causing him to moan in agony.

"Are you okay?" Shuichi called from the kitchen.

"Over my dead body!" Eiri yelled, and hung up the phone.

"What happened, Yuki?" Shuichi asked when he re-entered the room. He exchanged the frozen peas on Yoshi's head for the bag of mushrooms.

"Have either of you two ever heard of ice?" the author asked, snatching the peas out of Shuichi's hand.

"What happened to Ryuichi and Tatsuha?" Shuichi prodded, ignoring the question.

"They were arrested for getting drunk and fooling around in the parking garage of a shopping mall. Mall security found them passed out naked at four 'o clock in the morning."

Shuichi's eyes widened. "You serious?"

"She wants me to take care of the little punk while she and Tohma deal with Ryuichi. I told her to fuck off."

"Tohma will just bring him here anyway."

"I know, and we've already got _him_ to deal with!"

"Stop talking so loud!" Yoshi pleaded.

"It's all Tatsuha's fault he's in this condition in the first place," Shuichi grumbled. "He dumped him off here late last night after getting him completely wasted and then disappeared with Ryuichi. He should act more like a monk!"

"Well, I'm not taking care of that little shit. He causes his own problems, he can deal them."

"I'll take care of everything, Yuki, don't w-"

"No, you _won't_," Eiri informed him. "You're going to eat breakfast and go to bed."

"But-"

"You're supposed to be using this time off work to recuperate. You were up all night, you need to sleep."

"But you know your brother's going to wind up here whether we like it or not. Will you okay all by yourself?" Shuichi asked, concerned.

"I'll be fine. It's _Tatsuha_ you should worry about!"

._  
_  
_End chapter forty-seven_


	48. Chapter 48 Guilty Pleasures

Fleeting Inspiration 48  
by Anna Sartin

.__

Chapter 48: Guilty Pleasures

"A _tickle fight_?

Tatsuha nodded.

"Let me get this straight," Eiri said, in a severe tone. "You lost your wallet, were photographed nude by the paparazzi and picked up by the cops all because you and that idiot singer got into a _tickle fight_?"

"We didn't know what we were doing! We were drunk!"

"I'm sure father will understand _completely_," Eiri snorted, not in the least impressed with Tatsuha's lame attempt to defend himself. "He's going to have a heart attack when he sees you in the paper."

"You sound like Mika," the youngest Uesugi pouted. His sister had yelled at him over Tohma's cell phone the entire drive there. "My head is killing me!"

"Join the club," Yoshi called from his place on the sofa. "I feel like someone's trying to drive a giant nail into the back of my head with a mallet."

"Aniki, you've got to take me to Mika's place!" Tatsuha begged his brother. "Tohma took Kurosaki and won't give him back!"

"Nobody gives a damn about your stupid rabbit!" Eiri shouted. "What the hell is wrong with you? Do you think the old man is going to let you live here if this is how you act?"

"What do you mean?"

"There's no way he's going to let his last hope to run the temple move to the city if he thinks it'll corrupt you!"

"Too late," Tatsuha snickered, looking just like his brother at the moment. The expression quickly faded as he gave his brother a pleading look. "Aniki, let me borrow your car..."

"NO WAY IN HELL!"

"My bike got impounded last night and I've got to go get Kurosaki!"

"I said no. I've a lot to do today and I don't have time for your bullshit."

"Hey, where's Shuichi?" Tatsuha asked, hoping he could play on the singer's sympathies and get him to change his brother's mind.

"He fell asleep while I was making breakfast. I put him to bed."

_Damn._ "Got any leftovers? I'm hungry." When Eiri didn't answer Tatsuha turned to Yoshi, hoping to rile up some support. He was hoping his brother would be less likely to ignore the needs of a guest. "What about you?"

"Not me," Yoshi moaned, clutching the bag of frozen meatballs on his head miserably. His stomach felt raw and no amount of rinsing seemed to get the combined taste of vomit and booze out of his mouth. "Just thinking about food makes me feel sick!"

Tatsuha sighed. _Damn!_

"You don't seem to have a problem putting it on your head," Eiri remarked dryly. "You've gone through everything in the freezer."

"I'm sorry for all the trouble I've put you through," Yoshi apologized.

"You should be," was the writer's unsympathetic response as he snatched the meatballs out of the young American's hand and turned to his brother. "And YOU need to get your head out of your ass and back in the game. We've got a lot to do and you need to get yourself together."

"I do?" Tatsuha asked. "Why?"

"The realtor called an hour ago to let me know the house is ready. We can start moving things over there as soon as we're ready."

"What does that have to do with me?" Tatsuha asked.

"You're going to help, dumbass."

"Says who?" the teenager challenged. His defiant tone caused the last of Eiri's patience to snap.

"You listen here, you little punk! In less than a month you've blackmailed me, pissed off my landlord, made me think my car was _stolen_ and gotten arrested for indecent exposure _twice_..."

"Getting arrested must run in the family," Tatsuha remarked. Eiri smacked his brother upside the head. "Ow!"

"...Not to mention getting my guest wasted and dumping him off on Shuichi to take care of all night. I'm tired of dealing with your shit. Tohma is going to put a lid on the press, and if you don't want Father to find out about this you're going to shut your mouth and do _exactly_ what I tell you!"

"What's WITH you?" Tatsuha asked. "You didn't used to be this mean to me!"

Eiri started to walk away.

"You use to ask me to housesit for you all the time," Tatsuha continued, following him into the kitchen. "Now it's like pulling teeth to get you to let me stay here. You ignore my calls, hang up on me when you DO pick up the phone and throw me out unless I blackmail you or beg Shindo-san to let me stay." He grabbed his brother sleeve. "We use to share everything and now it's like you can't stand to be in the same room with me."

Eiri shook his brother's hand away. They _had_ been close once, it was true. As a toddler Tatsuha had followed him around like a duckling, as a child he'd been Eiri's steadfast companion and sole playmate, and once they're both grown old enough they went from sharing toys and clothes to booze and chicks. Tatsuha had been the one person in his life who didn't have countless expectations for his future or look down on him due to his odd-colored hair and eyes; and Eiri in turn was the only member of their family who accepted Tatsuha for who he truly was. All their lives the two had been close.

But things had changed.

"I told you, I'm tired of your shit. All you've done lately is cause trouble, for me and everyone else. I should have kicked your ass a year ago when you kidnapped me with a fucking box cutter and hit Shuichi with my car. You've been nothing but trouble since."

Oh. _Oh._ Tatsuha's eyes widened as realization dawned on him. "You're still mad at me for that, aren't you?"

Eiri didn't respond.

"I said I was sorry! If you were still pissed off then why didn't you TALK to me?"

Eiri turned away from his younger sibling and opened the freezer, tossing the bag of half-thawed meatballs inside and shutting it again. He then opening the cabinet, retrieving his DEADLINES AMUSE ME coffee mug that Shuichi had gotten him for his birthday last year. _I still need to get the dishes packed..._

"How am I supposed to know what the hell your problem is if you don't talk to me?" Tatsuha asked. "It was just a prank, I didn't mean to hit Shuichi!"

Eiri slammed the cabinet door shut and turned to face his brother. "You sold me out and nearly got all three of us killed for a fucking _paper cup _that Ryuichi may or may not have used. You're trouble, Tatsuha, and I'm tired of being dragged into your messes." Eiri poured himself a cup of coffee and turned to leave. "Now if you want this apartment after I move out I'd suggest you shut your mouth and do what you're told!"

"But I-"

"Pack the dishes!" Eiri commanded, cutting him off. With that the aggravated blond stormed off, leaving Tatsuha looking uncharacteristically disheartened.

"Aniki... I'm sorry..."

.__

Eiri had been planning on calling a truck to come pick up the furniture later, but when he got to the living room he found the phone was already in use.

"You want to be a _rapper_?" Yoshi asked the person at the other end of the line. Eiri was about to tell his guest he needed the phone when the young man exclaimed "You can't leave now, Lola! Are you crazy! Grandfather's going to flip!"

The author rolled his eyes and headed for the bedroom. He'd call the moving company later, the last thing he wanted to hear about was Mamoru Eto or his ridiculously annoying granddaughter. Besides, he still needed to get his clothes and a good number of other things in his bedroom packed and it was best to get it done while his boyfriend was still asleep. He didn't need the brat finding his secret collection of Buck Luck CDs hidden away in a box in the closet, or the photos he'd taken of Shuichi (naked and thoroughly debauched) after he'd passed out one night after their third (or was it fourth?) round of sex. He kept the pictures hidden in his nightstand to tide him over when the singer was on tour. And then there was the poster in his closet...

_Better get that first..._ he decided. He set the coffee mug down on the nightstand and went over to the closet, carefully opening it so as not to awaken his sleeping lover. He checked quickly to make sure the boy hadn't stirred from his slumber and then pushed his clothes aside to admire his secret treasure.

He'd never admit to anyone that he'd stood in line for over an hour to get it. He'd rushed out of the apartment after Shuichi had gone to work and drove like a demon on speed to get to the store before they were all sold out. The limited edition poster featured Shuichi in a flirty pose wearing a tight leather outfit complete with spiked collar. He'd been tempted to asked Tohma if Shuichi could bring those clothes home but then he'd have to admit that he'd actually seen (and taken an interest in) the poster in the first place. He carefully began untacking each corner.

"What are you doing, Yuki?" Shuichi asked, causing every hair on his lover's golden head to stand up. "Why are you hiding in the closet?"

Eiri quickly rolled up the poster he'd just taken down and tried to hold it behind his back. "I'm not hiding, you freak. I'm getting my clothes packed."

"Oh. So what's with the poster?"

Eiri winced. _Shit!_ "It's Tatsuha's. I keep telling him not to leave his shit in my room."

Shuichi yawned and sat up. "Oh. Did he ever get back?"

"Yes, unfortunately," the blond grumbled. Not wanting to discuss his brother or the poster in his hand he changed the subject by asking, "Did you sleep well?"

Shuichi just blinked and stared at him for a moment, before leaping out of bed and latching on the taller man's waist, squealing, "Aw! Yuki loves me!"

"Sorry I asked," Eiri muttered, trying to pry the singer off with the hand that wasn't holding the poster. He didn't succeed but eventually Shuichi let go on his own.

"Actually, I had a really weird dream. I dreamed that I was riding in a bus with lots of cats. There was a black and an orange one and there was a boy with cat ears..." he yawned again and stretched. "Come to think of it... I think the bus _was_ a cat. K was there too, and there was this really hot blond guy who kept accusing me of trying to steal his fiance. It was really weird..."

Eiri cocked an eyebrow. His lover had strange dreams. Still, considering all the garbage he'd read last night he was lucky he wasn't dreaming about cages and tentacles again.

"Well, stop thinking about it and get ready. The realtor called and said we can start moving into the house today.

Another squeal escaped the singer as he asked, "Really!"

"And we got a letter from America. It's in the living room."

Shuichi ran out of the room like a bolt of lightning and Eiri quickly stashed the rolled up poster in a large box.

"Yuki! Where's my computer!" Shuichi called out from the living room.

"I boxed it up and put it in the car, stupid," the author answered back. "Were you planning on leaving it here when we moved?"

"It's from Riku!" Shuichi yelled excitedly as he bounced back into the room. "We got a letter from Riku!"

"No shit." The author tried not to seem too interested as he edged closer to read over his lover's shoulder. Eiri hated to admit it, but he missed the little brat. Riku had been visiting Yoshiki for over a month now, and while the older man enjoyed having Shuichi all to himself (the kid demanded a lot of attention and his boyfriend was all too happy to give it to him), reading the childish print made him long to hear the small boy's laughter. He never thought he'd be attached to other member of Yuki Kitazawa's family, let alone his son, but the child had somehow managed to worm his way into his heart.

"I can't read it..." Shuichi whined, disappointed. He'd only passed English in high school (or, in deed, managed to graduate at all) by copying Hiro's work. He handed the letter to Eiri for translation.

"He says he's coming back on the 16th-"

"My birthday!" Shuichi interrupted, practically squealing with joy. "He remembered!"

"...and that he'll need to be picked up at the airport at two o'clock." Eiri finished.

"He's coming _alone?_" Shuichi asked.

"I suppose so."

"I can't wait to tell him about the new house! Maybe we can get moved in before he arrives and surprise him with his new room!"

"Just who said he's moving in with us!" Eiri asked, but it was a bluff and they both knew it. Shuichi kissed his grumpy boyfriend on the cheek and ran off to start loading boxes in the car, giving Eiri the opportunity to finish packing his "guilty pleasures" in peace.

.

End chapter forty-eight

.__

Author's note:  
For those who have asked about the dedication in TOKYOPOP's edition of Gravitation: The Novel, yes I am the same Anna Sartin. There's only one of me! (I hope!) XD


	49. Chapter 49 What's For Dinner?

Fleeting Inspiration 49  
by Anna Sartin

Chapter 49: What's For Dinner?

.__

"You can have all the shit in the guest room," Eiri told his brother as they walked through the apartment. "And the bookshelves in the study as well. Seguchi got paint on them, so I'm going to buy new ones for the den at home."

"Fine by me," was Tatsuha's reply. He sure as hell wasn't picky about free stuff, and he wasn't nearly as anal retentive as his brother was about keeping things perfect. Hell, once this place was his he had no doubt Ryuichi would have the walls covered in crayon drawings, finger paintings and half-written song lyrics in no time. He smiled at the thought, before shaking his head and forcing himself to focus on the task at hand. While his brother WAS talking to him, Tatsuha hadn't quite figured out how to broach the subject they most needed to discuss.

_If Aniki's still holding a grudge over something that had happened over a year ago, it's high time we clear the air so we can move on_. 

Unfortunately that was easier said than done. Eiri's moods were volatile as well as erratic, and he didn't know how to approach the issue without his brother either blowing up or withdrawing completely. "When are the moving people going to be here?" he asked, trying to keep the conversation going.

"Tomorrow." 

When he called the moving company Eiri had been told that a truck would not be available until noon tomorrow, so he was currently in the process of trying to decide what he wanted to keep and what he wanted to leave behind. He was planning on buying new furniture for the kitchen and dining room and he was still debating with himself over whether or not to buy new furniture for the living room. "Do you want this sofa?" he asked, when they entered the living room. He knew Shuichi was fond of that particular piece of furniture, but the living room in the new house was considerably smaller than the one he was now standing in. At first he considered buying a new sofa, before deciding to put the smaller one in his study in the new living room instead.

"Can I keep him, too?" Tatsuha asked, pointing to Yoshi. He was asleep on the couch, snoring softly. "He's kind of cute."

"Don't be a moron. Do you want the sofa or not?"

"Yeah, yeah, " Tatsuha nodded, grinning lecherously. "I bet my honey would like him, too. I wonder if he's into threesomes?"

"He's not interested in men," Eiri responded, annoyed. Tatsuha mentally kicked himself for getting off-point. _I'm never going to him to talk to me if I keep pissing him off!_

"And he's got a girlfriend in Europe," Shuichi piped up from behind them, causing Tatsuha to jump with surprise. "The poor guy was crying for her while he was wasted last night. He tried calling her but I guess he couldn't find the phone. I came in and found him talking into one of his shoes."

Eiri snorted. "Idiot."

Shuichi latched onto his boyfriend's waist and burying his face in his chest. "Yukiiiiiiiiii..." he whined, "I can't find Eiri-chan!"

"Who?" the author asked, pulling the pink-haired leech off of him.

"Eiri-chan!" Shuichi repeated, tugged at Eiri's shirt in his distress. "My owl! You know, the one I bought while we were on vacation!"

"Oh, that ugly thing," Eiri recalled.

"He's not ugly! You didn't throw him away, did you?"

"I haven't see your stupid toy," the blond answered, wondering why his lover was so fond of the odd-looking plushie. "Where did you have it last?"

"Here in the living room. Come to think of it, I haven't seen it for days..."

"It probably got packed with the rest of the stuff."

"I looked. It's not in any of the boxes."

"Well, maybe it got mixed in with Tatsuha's shit," the blond said, heading for the bedroom. Shuichi followed him.

"I looked there, too."

"You checked ALL the boxes in the house?"

"Yes, every single one!"

"Maybe it's in the car then. Don't worry about it now, we've got too much shit to do already."

The sound of thunder caused both men to look out the window. Shuichi walked over to it and sighed with disappointment. "Looks like we're going to be moving in the rain."

"The movers won't be here until tomorrow," Eiri said, "It'll probably stop by then."

.__

It had not stopped by dinnertime, and the gloomy atmosphere was affecting everyone. Eiri was annoyed, Yoshi was depressed and Shuichi and Tatsuha were currently in a heated debate over whether ramen or sushi would be better. This only added to Yoshi gloomy demeanor. Neither food sounded appealing to him. The phone rang, breaking up the argument. It was for Yoshi.

"Hello?" Yoshi asked after Eiri handed him the phone.

"Come on, Aniki!" Tatsuha's voice wheedled. "You know you want sushi!"

"No he doesn't!" Shuichi snapped, and the argument began all over again. Eiri rolled his eyes and ignored them both. This went on for a few minutes until the sound of laughter caused everyone to look in Yoshi's direction.

"What are YOU so happy about?" Tatsuha asked.

"You know that crazy woman who fucked up my car?" Yoshi asked, as if anyone could possibly forget. "She's being deported!" He handed the phone back to Eiri. "Apparently she's been living here illegally for months. When they arrested her she told them she flew here from Ohio last summer and didn't have the money to fly back home."

"Ohayo?" Shuichi asked, confused.

"Ohio," Yoshi corrected him. "It's a state in America."

"Oh, like New York!"

"That's right. I lived Maryland myself."

Shuichi shook his head, wishing he'd pay a bit more attention in geography class when he's had the chance to learn all this stuff. Americans were a strange people; why would anyone name a state "good morning"? Did they have states named "Konbanwa" and "Osuminasai" as well?

"We never did decide what to have for dinner," Tatsuha pointed out, hoping to get back to the topic at hand.

"Are there any Mexican restaurants around here?" Yoshi asked, now in a cheerful mood.

"Me-xi-ca?" Shuichi asked, confused. He turned to Eiri. "Where's Mexica?"

"Mexico," Eiri corrected. "It's a country in North America. South of America."

Shuichi gave him a puzzled look. "I thought you just said it was in north America?"

"I did."

"Then how can it be south of America?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" his lover asked, feeling a headache coming on.

"How can a country be in northern America and south of America at the same time?"

"North America the _continent_," the writer explained, trying to be patient.

"America's a country, not a continent! Even I know that!"

Yoshi burst out laughing.

"There are TWO continents called America," Eiri explained slowly, fighting the urge to smack his boyfriend upside the head. "North America and South America. The COUNTRY America is in the continent of North America, and so is Mexico. Didn't they have geography at your school?"

"Yes, but I usually slept through it."

Yoshi laughed again and Eiri rubbed his forehead. "How in the world did you manage to GRADUATE?"

"Well, I WAS at the bottom of my class..."

"I believe it."

"Hiro graduated second in our class. I think I squeaked by copying his homework all the time."

"Your friend was salutatorian?" Yoshi asked. "He must've been really smart."

"He is," Shuichi grinned. "But he always said that there wasn't any honor in saying you were the top student at our school since everyone there was so dumb!" 

"Sounds like my old school!" Yoshi laughed.

"Are we going to get something to eat or not?" Eiri asked, wanting to end the whole stupid conversation. "There aren't any Mexican restaurant around here, so what do you want?"

"What about the "Fish Hut" we passed on the way here?" Yoshi suggested.

"NO!" Eiri and Shuichi cried out in unison. The one and only time they'd eaten there they'd both gotten food poisoning. In had been on the news several times for health code violations; it was a wonder the place managed to stay in business. 

"Well, I can made dinner if you'd like," Yoshi suggested.

"Oh no, we couldn't possibly make our guest serve himself, let alone _cook_ for us!" Shuichi objected.

"Why not?" Tatsuha asked. "You make ME do it all the time."

"YOU don't count," Eiri informed his brother icily. Tatsuha pouted. He still hadn't gotten close to having a meaningful conversation with his brother, but he wasn't giving up yet.

"Since you've never heard of Mexico, I assume you've never had Mexican food before. I'd be happy to introduce you to it. My mother's enchiladas are the best, I can make them for you."

"Knock yourself out," was Eiri's reply, before heading for the kitchen. He'd had enough of this conversation.

"We'll need to buy ingredients, though," Shuichi said. "I don't know what you use to make Me-xi-cone food, but I'm pretty sure we don't have it."

"To the store, then!" Tatsuha said loudly, and the other two nodded. Eiri immediately reappeared and grabbed Shuichi by the arm.

"Not you," Eiri told his lover.

"Huh? Why not?"

"Because it's raining and I don't want you getting sick. Those two can manage on their own."

Shuichi's eyes began to water and he latched onto his lover gleefully. "Yuki loves me!"

"We'll be back, Aniki!" Tatsuha called, as he and Yoshi headed out the door.

"Um... Yuki?" Shuichi asked. "Do either of them know where the international market is?"

"Do I care?" Eiri asked, heading back to the kitchen.

Shuichi stared at the front door nervously. _This could be bad..._

._  
_  
_End chapter forty-nine_


End file.
